The Memoires of a Detective
by whitedoyle
Summary: When Conan gets kidnapped, everything begins to change. The Black Organization is on the move. ShinRan. KaiShin. Heiji/Kazuha.
1. Arc One: Prelude

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

"Little Shop of Horrors?" Conan asked, already feeling skeptical.

"Ya, Conan! It just opened! Let's go!" Genta yelled, as full of gusto as ever, one foot almost out the door.

"Please, Hakase?" Ayumi pleaded.

"But don't you guys think it's strange for a restaurant to be called-" Conan tried to say before Haibara interrupted.

"Edogawa-kun, you're not afraid of man-eating plants, are you?" Haibara said with a smirk.

"M-man eating plants?" Genta sputtered out.

"Ya, Genta-kun!" Mitsuhiko said, "Little Shop of Horrors was originally a musical about a plant that ate human flesh."

"See what I mean about it being weird for a restaurant to be called that?" Conan said.

"But they're supposed to have some of the best yakisoba noodles in all of Tokyo," Ayuma chirped.

"Not to mention unagi!" Genta yelled, quickly forgetting all about flesh eating plants. Conan just sighed. How did his quiet Saturday morning end up like this? All Conan really wanted to do was watch some soccer on TV while Hakase upgraded his shoes. According to the professor, the new upgrades would let Conan magnetically attach to surfaces. _Kind of like Spiderman_. Obviously, Conan did not tell any of the Shonen Tantei this; they'd definitely pester him nonstop to show them.

"Alright, but, only if you manage to answer this quiz," Hakase said abruptly, grinning. _Oh boy, another quiz_, Conan thought. He had to admit, the restaurant's strange name did get him curious; something just felt off about it. But he wasn't sure he wanted the Shonen Tantei tagging along. The Shonen Tantei collectively let out a groan at the prospect of the quiz, but did eye Conan hopefully.

"Um, I need to use the toilet," Conan said, trying to escape, but he was too slow and Genta and Mitsuhiko managed to pin him down.

"Here's the quiz," Hakase started, "Smith has been working for a long time without a break. So, he decides to go on a vacation. What does he do to get there? 1) Take a boat. 2) Take a car. 3) Take a plane. Well?"

* * *

_And here we are_, Conan thought. The place was surprisingly pleasant looking. No sign of any man-eating plants and the storefront was a cheery blue color. A happy looking waitress invited them inside and seated them, handing each of the six people present a menu.

"Yakisoba noodles!" Ayumi chirped.

"Unagi! Unagi!" Genta chanted.

"Can I have the noodles too," Conan said, pointing at the menu. Haibara and Mitsuhiko did the same.

"Four noodles and an unagi, coming right up," the waitress said, "And what about you sir?" she asked, looking at the professor.

"I'll have-" Hakase started, before noticing Haibara's glare, "A glass of water will be fine." Haibara gave him a quick nod of approval. _Hakase sure has it rough_, Conan thought to himself. But then again, he didn't want to be on Haibara's bad side either, so he just kept quiet.

Conan's head followed the waitress as she walked away with their orders. That's when a man dressed in black sitting in the corner of the restaurant caught his eye. He was drinking what appeared to be brandy, accompanied by an American styled brunch. _It couldn't be_, Conan thought, tensing up. Rena-san hadn't mentioned anything to the FBI recently, after all.

"Oi, Haibara," Conan whispered, turning to his side. But he did not like what he saw. Haibara was shaking uncontrollably, the look of fear on her face confirming what he was about to ask. _Damn it_. He needed to think fast; he could not let this chance pass. But before he could think any further, a woman's scream pierced through the air. Conan whipped his head around, just in time to see a woman stand up out of her seat, hands by her mouth to stifle another scream. Across the table from her, a man was sitting, face on the table, a look of horror in his eyes. That's when Conan noticed it, the man's arms slowly disappearing, as if, as if, being eaten by a man-eating plant. Conan quickly darted his head back to the man in the corner; a small grin was stretched across his face.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**  
1. Who is the man dressed in black? Is the Black Organization involved somehow?  
2. What is with the man's disappearing arms?

**Agasa's Quiz**

Smith has been working for a long time without a break. So, he decides to go on a vacation. What does he do to get there?

1) Take a boat.  
2) Take a car.  
3) Take a plane.


	2. Arc One: The Three Suspects

A/N: Answer to Agasa's Quiz coming soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

"Megure-keibu," Conan called out as the burly inspector stepped into the restaurant.

"Conan-kun!" Takagi said in surprise, coming in after the inspector. "What are you doing here?"

"Takagi-keiji," Conan said, with feigned childishness, "Agasa-hakase brought us here for dinner."

"As a reward for getting his quiz right!" Ayumi chimed in, popping up next to Conan.

"Quiz?" Takagi asked, slightly confused.

"Ya, it was about this guy, Smith-" Genta started before Takagi interrupted.

"Ah, sorry guys," Takagi laughing apologetically, "Maybe some other time."

"Tch, that's no fun," Genta said.

"Genta-kun, someone just died, you know," Mitsuhiko pointed out.

"I-I knew that," Genta sputtered out.

"Besides," Conan added, "You wouldn't have gotten it right the first time if it weren't for 'someone' helping." Conan looked over at Haibara, expecting a snappy remark, but she was still busy trying to break line of sight by hiding behind Hakase; a look of fear was still plastered on her face.

"I totally would have figured it out," Genta boasted.

"I doubt it," Mitsuhiko countered.

"Would too!" Genta yelled.

"Ahem," Megure coughed, silencing the Shonen Tantei. "At any rate, Conan-kun, I hope Mouri-kun isn't training you to be a shinigami," Conan just laughed childishly at that. Truth be told, it's probably the other way around, Conan thought to himself. "Just remember to avoid eating apples, OK?"

"OK, Megure-keibu!" Conan chirped, though he had no idea what the inspector was talking about. The inspector finally turned away from the Shonen Tantei and went to inspect the crime scene, followed by Takagi.

"Alright, listen, you guys," Conan said, directing his attention to the Shonen Tantei, "It's getting late, so you guys should probably have Hakase bring you back home."

"Eh?!" Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko exclaimed in unison.

"But we're the Shonen Tantei, and there's a case to be solved," Mitsuhiko said, to which Genta and Ayumi vigorously nodded in agreement.

"The police will probably want statements from you guys first thing tomorrow morning," Conan explained, "So you need to get some rest."_ More importantly_, Conan thought,_ it's way too dangerous here if that man is_…Conan glanced over at the man in black. He was still sitting in the corner. He had barely moved, but the grin was gone. He appeared to be looking thoughtfully into space. Conan quickly looked away before the man noticed him staring. He had to get them out of there, especially Haibara. "Hakase," Conan said. The professor nodded and started herding the Shonen Tantei out of the restaurant, much to their dismay and not-so-subtle protests.

"Be careful, Kudo-kun," Haibara said as she walked past him. "They're here." Conan nodded.

"I'll give you a call as soon as I can."

"Don't do anything stupid." With that, Haibara left to join the others in the professor's yellow beetle. Conan heard the car start and drive away.

"Now, for the case," Conan muttered to himself. He had to be especially careful with this one; there was a special guest, after all. Conan discretely made his way over to the crime scene, lingering behind Takagi, hoping to catch any progress the police had on the case.

"Megure-keibu," one of the forensics said, "it appears the cause of death was septic shock after massive blood loss. Based on what tissue was recovered, it seems that a highly concentrated corrosive agent was in contact with the victims arms and literally began dissolving them. Time of death is around 6PM."

_A corrosive agent makes sense_, Conan thought, probably something like sulfuric acid. At least, that's what he had thought when he first inspected the body before the police had arrived. As if there were man-eating plants! But the question is, how did the victim get it on his arms? Did someone put it there? Or did the victim himself accidentally touch something he shouldn't have? The answer would label the case either an accidental death or murder…Hold on, something was odd about the man's sleeve, aside from it being, well, ghastly empty. Conan moved closer for a better look. The man's left cuff was missing, with some loose thread where the cuff used to be. And the right cuff, was missing too! Same threading. _Wait_, Conan thought, hand cupping his chin and deep in thought. Given what the man was eating…

"Little boy," one of the forensic techs called, "You shouldn't be here."

"Oh, sorry!" Conan apologized with mock sincerity. As he walked away from the body, a smirk grew across his face. Conan knew the trick behind the murder. Now he just needed evidence about the murderer.

"His arms just started disappearing," a frightened woman was saying when Conan retook his place quietly behind Takagi. She had been the woman sitting across from the victim and had been the one to scream. "I was so frightened."

"Himiko Natsumi-san, correct?" Megure asked. The woman nodded in reply. "I'm sorry, but what is your relationship with the victim?"

"He was my ex-boyfriend," Natsumi explained.

"And why were the two of you in this restaurant today?" Megure questioned.

"He called me today and asked that I have dinner with him," Natsumi explained.

"When was that call?" Takagi asked.

"About 4:30PM, I think."

"And before today, when was the last time the two of you spoke?" Megure asked.

"The day we broke up."

"And when was that?"

"About six months ago."

"Don't you think it was strange that he just called you up after all that time and suddenly invited you to dinner?" Megure asked.

"I just," the woman stumbled, "He said he had something important to talk about."

"I see," Megure said slowly, eying the woman suspiciously.

"Megure-keibu," one of the officers said as he walked over, another person in tow, "We found this man suspiciously hiding in the bathroom."

"I wasn't hiding in the bathroom. I was using the fricken toilet, you dimwit," the man said, obviously upset. He looked to be in his forties, hair unkempt, clothes wrinkled.

"And you are?" Takagi asked, detective notebook open.

"Satoshi Higure," the man replied, pushing an officer away roughly. Conan caught a glimpse of a ring on the man's hand; it had an upside down cross etched into the surface. _Hold on_, Conan thought. That ring on his hand, where had he seen it before? Wait!

"Onee-san!" Conan chirped innocently, "That's a really cool ring you have there!" Conan took Natsumi's hand, surprising the woman. "Wow, an upside down cross! That's just like the ring that Ojisan has!" The police perked their ears at that.

"Excuse me," Takagi said, "May I please see your ring?" The man grudgingly pulled his hand out of the pocket he had hid it in and displayed the ring. "Conan-kun's right. It's the same ring."

"Higure-san, do you know Natsumi-san?" Megure asked.

The man hesitated, took a brief look at Natsumi, and then dropped his head, avoiding further eye contact. It was actually the woman who finally responded. "Higure-san and I were part of the same support group, for alcoholism. This is the ring that shows we've been sober for at least a year," Natsumi explained. _I see_, Conan thought. Hold on, if these two were in the same support group, then maybe… Conan snuck towards the victim again, being sure to avoid the forensic techs, and discretely checked the man's pockets. Bingo!

"And do you know the victim, Higure-san?" Megure asked. The man furiously shook his head no.

"You must have been really lucky then, Ojisan," Conan chirped again, a fake smile on his face.

"What do you mean, Conan-kun," Megure asked.

"Well, it's weird that they've never meet, right? I mean, they were in the same support group because this man has a ring too!" Conan said, showing the ring he found in the victim's pocket.

"Higure-san, why did you lie?" Megure asked, looking suspiciously at the man who began to fidget.

"I, uh, I," the man muttered, trying to find the right thing (lie) to say.

"He's my new boyfriend, alright," Natsumi answered again. "When Honto-san called me out of the blue," she said, pointing to the dead man lying on the table, "I wasn't sure what he wanted. I asked Higure-kun to come with me, just in case anything happened."

"Like if Honto-san ended up dead?" Megure asked.

"Like I have any idea about that," Natsumi snapped. But when she saw that Megure was still staring at her, she yelled, "You think I have something to do with this?"

"Either you or Higure-san. Or maybe you two worked together?" Megure said, though not quite accusing yet.

"That's ridiculous," Higure replied angrily.

"Megure-keibu," the same officer from before called, this time with a different person in tow.

"If you're going to tell me that there's another suspicious person," Megure started.

"Yes, Megure-keibu," the office replied, in good spirits.

"Would you please just bring all the suspicious people here already!" Megure yelled, annoyed.

"At once!" the officer saluted, and ran off before he could be yelled at anymore.

"And you are?" Takagi asked, trying to give the inspector some rest.

"Tomino Honto," the man replied.

"Honto?" Takagi repeated.

"Yes, I am the victim's younger brother," the man said, replying to the unasked question. _Well, he is sure being helpful_, Conan thought. That's either because he has nothing to hide or…he was going out of his way to seem nice.

"All the suspicious people have been gathered, Megure-keibu," the officer said, returning. Megure just sighed and dismissed him. Not all the suspicious people, Conan thought silently, shooting a glance at the man in black. The man had taken out a cellphone and was texting away.

"Alright, I need you three to come with me to the station so we can get your statements," Megure-keibu said, motioning to the three.

"Hold on, are we being charged with something?" Higure asked.

"No, we're just going to ask you a few questions about what happened," Megure assured. _Crap_, Conan thought,_ if these three leave now, they might get a chance to dispose that thing they used to kill Honto-san._ Conan knew that Honto-san had been murdered, and, based on the observations he just made, even knew who the murder was, but he couldn't just outright say it. The police officers might be used to him saying un-childlike things, but the man in black was watching. He had to point the police to the evidence. Conan smirked; he had an idea.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

1. What was the murderer's trick?


	3. Arc One: The Culprit is You!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan

* * *

Conan took a look at the man in the corner; the man had put away his phone and was busy giving his statement to one of the officers. Alright, let's do this, Conan thought. He had to act quickly, because the man was bound to leave once he finished giving his statement.

"It's so itchy," Conan complained, louder than necessary, as he made an effort to struggle with pulling up his sleeves. "Ngh," Conan groaned loudly, trying his best to look stressed.

That seemed to get Takagi's attention, as the officer looked down at the troubled child and asked, "Conan-kun, what are you doing?"

"Takagi-keiji!" Conan said with mock-surprise, "Ran-neechan just bought me this new shirt but the sleeves are super itchy so I was trying to roll them up but it's not working."

"You have to unbutton the cuffs first, Conan-kun," Takagi explained to the child, kneeling down, "Here, let me help."

"Thanks, Takagi-keiji!" Conan chirped as the detective unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve and pushed it up his arm. In the process, the sleeve left a sticky trail of red all along Conan's arm.

"Conan-kun, what's that?" Takagi asked in surprise.

"Ah!" Conan gasped in childlike fashion before sticking a finger in the red substance and gingerly bringing it to his tongue for a taste. Of course, Conan already knew what it was, being the one who smeared the substance on the cuff in the first place. "It's ketchup, Takagi-keiji!" Conan said happily, "It must have gotten on my cuff during dinner and when you pulled up my sleeve, it got all over my arm!"

"Alright, you should probably get that cleaned up in the bathroom, Conan-kun," Takagi said, standing up again. It never crossed Conan's mind that the detective didn't find it odd for Conan to still be in the restaurant despite his guardian already leaving with the rest of the kids.

"OK, Takagi-keiji!" Conan said, grinning. "Good thing it was just ketchup and not anything dangerous right?" Conan asked, looking directly at the detective. He saw the detective's eyes glaze over momentarily, as if deep in thought. Then Takagi rushed over to the victim and began checking the victim's sleeves. Bingo! Conan thought, smirking to himself. But his smirk quickly vanished when an arm reached out and picked him up by the back of his shirt. "Ah, ah!" Conan squirmed as he turned around to look at who the culprit was. It was the victim's younger brother.

"Keibu, what is this child doing here?" Honto asked, pointing to Conan.

"He's uh, ha ha," Megure laughed nervously. But before he had to give an explanation, the inspector was interrupted by Takagi. Honto, who also seemed to lose interest, dropped the child back on the ground.

"Megure-keibu," Takagi said, as he returned to the inspector's side, "the victim's cuffs are missing."

Megure thought about the new information for a minute before replying, "Do you think the corrosive agent ate away the cuffs?"

"It is possible," one of the forensic techs said and Megure looked as if he was about to move on from this particular point and proceed with bringing the suspects to the station. Shoot, Conan thought. He had to make the police realize the important of the missing cuffs. After all, the acid wouldn't only eat the cuffs and then there was the matter of the loose threads…

Conan was about to interject again, the word okashii was literally on the tip of his tongue, but Takagi suddenly spoke, "I don't think so, Megure-keibu. It wouldn't make sense for the acid to only dissolve the cuffs. And there are some loose threads at the end of the sleeve, as if the cuffs were ripped off." Alright, Takagi-keiji! He was being uncharacteristically sharp today, Conan thought.

"What are you suggesting, Takagi-kun?" Megure asked.

"This is murder, Megure-keibu," Takagi announced, both to the inspector and the three suspects. "Someone had to have taken the cuffs off Honto-san after he died and that person must be the murderer!"

"Ha?" Megure replied, looking confused, "Why would missing cuffs mean there was a murderer?"

"He was eating dinner here right? What do you do before eating, especially when you're eating something like the sushi Honto-san was eating? You pull up your sleeves, Megure-keibu! The murderer must have put the corrosive agent on Honto-san's cuffs, and when Honto-san went to pull up his sleeves, the cuffs spread the corrosive agent all over Honto-san's arms. The murderer then stole the cuffs to hide the evidence," Takagi explained, beaming from his deduction.

"Alright, we're going to need you three to stay here for a bit longer," Megure said to the three suspects, "If this is indeed a murder, you three, who knew the victim, are the most likely suspects. Moreover, we're going to request that you three be subjected to a full body search for any dangerous chemicals." Conan grinned, the police could handle it from here. Normally, Conan would prod the police a bit more, just to be sure that they arrived at the right solution. But for now, there was the more pressing matter of the man in black.

A look over to the corner showed that the man in black had just finished giving his statement and was getting up to use the toilet before leaving. Perfect chance, Conan thought. Conan followed the man to the back of the restaurant and entered the bathroom.

When Conan entered the bathroom, the man had his back turned and was busy using one of the urinals. What should I do? Conan thought. Conan had a tranquilizer dart with him, which he could have used in theory. But putting the man to sleep right now wouldn't do much good. It wasn't like Conan could just carry the sleeping man out of the restaurant to a secondary location. No, it'd be better to put a tracker on him and see where he went, Conan thought. If the man was actually a member of the Black Organization, he'd have to report the incident at the restaurant as soon as possible. Maybe Conan'd even get lucky and the man would lead him straight back to the Black Organization's headquarters. Tracker it is, then, Conan thought. And, looking at the sinks, he had just the plan to do it. Sometimes being small did come in handy.

Conan made his way into one of the stalls, lingering just long enough until he heard the man flush. Conan quickly flushed as well, timing it so that he exited the stall just as the man was walking to the sinks. Thank goodness he cares about hygiene, Conan thought, otherwise this plan would not have ended well. Conan walked up to the sink, and tried his best to reach the faucet handle. He even jumped a few times for good measure but the handle was just out of his reach, or at least, Conan made it seem that way.

"Here, little boy," the man said gruffly, turning the water on for Conan.

"Thank you, Ojisan!" Conan said, giving the man a smile, which was not returned. The man resumed washing his own hands. Conan finished quickly and ran to the drier ahead of the man, air drying his hands. When he heard the man approaching from behind, Conan quickly spun around and gave the surprised man a big hug. "You're cool, Ojisan!" Conan said excitedly, before dashing out the door quickly. To the normal observer, it was just a kid thanking an adult for helping him. But the duration of the hug was enough for Conan to stick the tracker on the man's jacket.

As Conan left the bathroom and made his way to the exit, he heard one of the officers saying that no corrosive substances had been found on any of the suspects. But with his plan in motion, Conan couldn't stop to help the police anymore. He had to quickly find somewhere to hide. A row of bushes next to the restaurant did the trick. Once hidden amongst the shrubbery, Conan turned on his tracking glasses. The man was on the move. Conan grinned; the pursuit was on.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

1. Can Takagi lead the police to the truth without Conan's help?  
2. Will Conan find the B.O's hideout?

**Reply to Reviews**  
Good guesses guys on the Agasa quiz. A car having "tires" where tires = "tired" would be something in an Hakase quiz, haha. But it wasn't quite right. Plane being the least work isn't the answer either. Keep trying!


	4. Arc One: Pursuit

**Summary of events thus far:**

**5:30PM** Shonen Tantei go to local restaurant for dinner.

**6:00PM** Conan notes a man wearing black. Haibara is scared but before Conan can ask her anything, a murder occurs involving the disappearance of a man's arms.

**6:15PM** Police arrives on scene, conclude that disappearance of arms is due to a corrosive agent.

**7:00PM** Police conclude that none of the three suspects have possession of a corrosive agent. Conan begins tracking the man in black, hoping to be led to the B.O. headquarters.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

**Saturday, 9:30PM**

_Two and a half hours, or one hundred fifty minutes, or nine…no, stay focused_, Conan thought to himself, _But seriously, what was this man doing?_ Conan had expected the man to contact his superiors in the Black Organization as soon as he left the restaurant, if not Anokata, then at least someone like Gin. But instead, Conan had been dragged around Tokyo for almost three hours.

When the man first left the restaurant, he had headed to the warehouse district. Conan had high hopes then, thinking that the shady place would be a perfect base for people who liked the color black. But it turns out the man only went there to buy some incredibly sketchy fruits. _Really, who sells fruits at the warehouse district? And at this hour,_ Conan had thought before the man led him to an equally shady "adult" shop. Obviously, Conan could not follow the man inside but when the man emerged thirty minutes later, and in a significantly better mood, Conan resumed his tailing. It only led him to a pachinko bar, followed by a local bookstore, and now, the man was just sitting on a park bench, looking up at the sky and eating the sketchy apple he had bought earlier. Conan had taken a place behind a nearby tree, resting his short legs as he eyed the man.

_What was going on here?_ Conan thought. Could he have been wrong? Was this man not actually a member of the Black Organization? Conan peered out from behind the tree again. The man was still sitting on the bench, but there was a subtle change in his behavior. He began turning his head back and fro, as if looking around. Then he suddenly froze, appearing to be listening for the smallest sound. Conan froze as well. _Did he realize he was being followed?_ Conan thought. _If he thought he was being tailed, that would explain why he hadn't contacted anyone yet_. _Crap, did I tip him off somehow?_

Conan thought back to the restaurant. Had he been a little too affectionate towards the stranger? _No, _Conan thought, _unless he already knew I wasn't actually a kid, that would have just been a forgettable encounter_. And the three hours of tailing wasn't the cause either. Conan had been sure to stay far out of the man's line of sight. After all, he could follow from quite a distance using the tracking glasses. So, if Conan wasn't the cause, why was the man suddenly being so cautious?

Before Conan had time to think about it anymore, the man stood up and started to move again. Conan followed the man out of the park, again making sure there was enough distance to hide his presence. The man was heading west this time, crossing through one of the busy shopping districts in Tokyo.

_Good_, Conan thought, _busy sidewalks are easier to hide in. _The man did not stop to look in any of the stores, but passed each without so much as turning his head. He obviously had some specific location in mind. Conan hoped it would finally be a route to the Black Organization.

_Although_, Conan thought, _something's still bothering me about man_. Conan couldn't quite place it, but it nagged at the back of his mind. There was just something off about the whole thing. _Hold on_, Conan began before BAM! he walked right into someone. Conan was knocked backwards onto the pavement.

"Ow, ow, ow," Conan groaned, rubbing his head.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, little boy. Are you alright?" a woman's frantic voice asked. Conan looked up to see an apologetic woman in her mid-thirties with a distinctly American appearance; she was offering a hand to help him up. Conan took the hand and the woman managed to pull him back onto his feet.

"I'm alright, Onee-san!" Conan said in childlike fashion. The woman smiled when he called her onee-san. "I'm sorry for bumping into you."

"No, no. I wasn't paying attention either," the woman apologized. "I'm just happy you're alright."

"I am, thanks," Conan said, giving the woman a reassuring smile.

"That's good. Are your parents around?" the woman asked, sounding genuinely concerned for Conan's well-being.

"No, I was just on my way home," Conan lied.

"I see. Well, be careful, little boy. There are a lot of dangerous things out and about at night," the woman said, before waving goodbye and going off on her way.

While that did take time, fortunately Conan was able to find the man again thanks to his tracking glasses. He was about to run off after the man in black when he noticed a sheet of paper on the ground by his feet. _Was that there before?_ Conan thought. Curiosity got the better of him and he bent down and picked up the sheet. On it was written a sentence in bold letters:

_A predator hunts_

_And unwilling becomes_

_The easiest prey_

_Oi, oi, a haiku?_ Conan thought, _and a creepy one at that_. _Did that woman write this?_ No, he had to avoid distractions. The man in black was getting farther and farther away; Conan had to catch up before losing him.

It was a good thing the man was a slow walker, which let Conan catch up fairly quickly. Conan took his place behind the man again, his thoughts drifting back to before. There was definitely something off about the man in black. While Conan couldn't exactly say why, it just felt that the man's actions didn't quite fit with modus operandi of the Black Organization. Unfortunately, it was just a gut feeling; Conan didn't have any evidence to support it yet.

_Crap_, Conan thought as he watched the man turn into an alley. It was going to be much harder to tail someone in an alley. While Conan didn't strictly need visual contact with the man, courtesy of his tracking glasses, Conan wanted to be in a position to see if the man was making any calls or texts on his cell. Conan held his breath, counted to thirty, and then followed the man into the alley. The man was about twenty meters ahead, trudging along.

And that's when it happened, because, ****, Murphy's law. Conan's phone began to ring. _Crap, _Conan thought, _I should have turned it off, or at least set it to vibrate. _Conan's eyes darted ahead, but by some miracle, the man seemed to not hear, or maybe not care, and continued walking. Conan ducked into a doorway and pulled the phone out of his pocket. It was from Ran. _Crap_.

"Hello? Ran-neechan?" Conan said meekly, trying to be as defensive as possible.

"Conan-kun?" Ran asked. She sounded angry. "Where are you?! Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Ah! I'm really sorry, Ran-neechan," Conan apologized. He looked at the digital display on the cellphone, 10:15PM. It was getting pretty late, no wonder Ran was angry. "I was reading a book in a bookstore. I guess I lost track of time," Conan lied. Yeah, he was not going to tell her that he was following a possible member of the criminal organization who attempted to kill him with a drug that ended up shrinking him back ten years.

"You should have at least called then, Conan-kun. I was worried about you."

"Sorry, Ran-neechan," Conan apologized again.

"Well anyways, come back home now," Ran said through the phone.

Conan immediately began to protest, "But Ran-neechan-"

"NO BUTS!" Ran ordered, cutting him off, "RIGHT NOW! UNDERSTAND?"

"Alright," Conan said softly, trying to hide the defiance in his voice.

"I'll see you home soon, Conan-kun," Ran said happily and hung up the phone. Conan shut his phone and sighed. _Now what_? Conan thought. Looking ahead, he saw that the man had disappeared from the alley. His tracking glasses indicated that the man had stopped somewhere two streets away, the little blinking dot stationary on the glass. Should he follow the man? Ran would be super pissed if he broke his promise after already being late and not calling. Though, it was understandable given the time and his appearance as a kid.

_Hold on_, Conan thought, a sudden realization hitting him, _that's what was off! The timing!_ The man in black was already sitting in the corner of the restaurant before he and the others had arrived. But when they first entered the restaurant, there was no reaction from Haibara. It was only _after_ the waitress had taken their orders that Haibara started freaking out. "But then," Conan continued, thinking aloud now, "if it wasn't that man, who did Haibara react to? It wasn't the waitress. It must have been someone who entered later. But, who?" Conan strained his brain to think back, to replay the entire dinner up to the murder. Who had entered after them? "Who was it?" Conan asked, frustrated.

"Too slow," a voice whispered from behind. Conan whipped around in surprise, trying to locate the voice. But before he had a chance to, a blow smashed him in the back of his head, sending him reeling to the ground. The world became all fuzzy. Conan tried to lift his head to see his attacker but another blow sent him right into darkness.

The last thing Conan heard was a voice saying, "Sleep tight, Mr. Detective."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

1. What has happened to our favorite little detective?  
2. Who is this mysterious voice and does he know about Conan's secret identity?

**Agasa's Quiz**

Smith has been working for a long time without a break. So, he decides to go on a vacation. What does he do to get there?

1) Take a boat.  
2) Take a car.  
3) Take a plane.

**Solution to Agasa's Quiz**

Someone was really close! The pun is indeed on the word "break". My reasoning was slightly different than the one provided though. Since Smith never worked with "breaks", he'd be really familiar with transportation that has no "breaks", thus making that vehicle his transportation of choice. Out of the three, only boats do not have "breaks", thus the answer is (1) Boat! Cars and planes both have brakes, but really close try ;)


	5. Arc One: Restaurant Murder Conclusion

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

**Saturday, 7:00PM**

"Eh?" Takagi said in surprise, "What do you mean none of the suspects were in possession of corrosive agents?"

"I mean just that," one of the officers replied, "The body search revealed that none of the suspects were in possession of corrosive agents. We have also searched the entire restaurant, but the most corrosive thing we found was some vinegar in the kitchen."

"And what about the missing cuffs?" Takagi asked. The officer shook his head. "Is it possible that it was flushed down a toilet?" Takagi had seen a similar thing happen in a movie once; the culprit had flushed a surgical gown, which had been used to block gunpowder residue, down the toilet to hide the evidence. The culprit had turned out to be a psychotic psychiatrist who was angry that his surgical career was ruined and… Takagi shook his head. _Focus_. The idea was possible though. _And Higure-san had been found in the bathroom_, Takagi thought silently.

"Or there was no corrosive agent to begin with!" Natsumi yelled angrily. "Keibu, are you charging us with something? If not, there are places I really have to be."

"And where might that be?" Megure asked.

"Places!" Natsumi snapped back.

"Actually, I have to leave too, Keibu. I need to contact the rest of my family," Honto added. Higure, perhaps feeling left out, muttered something about leaving as well.

"Takagi-kun," Megure whispered, "Are you sure this case is a murder?" Takagi thought about it for a minute. He had been so sure just a while ago. It had all made so much sense in his head: the fact that the cuffs were missing, the fact that the victim must have pulled up his sleeves for dinner, the fact that the corrosive agent was on the cuffs. But there was no corrosive agent; there were no missing cuffs. _What's going on here,_ Takagi thought. There was a piece of the puzzle missing, that keystone without which the arch of his deduction was crumbling. Takagi felt that if he only had one more clue, one more solid fact, the case would burst wide open for him to see. He reflexively looked down, but only the ground looked back.

"Takagi-kun?" Megure whispered again when Takagi didn't respond.

"Megure-keibu, I am pretty sure this is murder. I just need-" Takagi paused, "a little more time." Megure nodded.

He would try, but Megure wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the agitated suspects in the restaurant. Megure knew as well as anyone that if there were any evidence remaining on the suspects, it'd be gone the moment they left the restaurant. But he believed in Takagi. After all, Takagi was perhaps one of the most reliable detectives he had. "Ahem," Megure coughed, getting the three suspects' attention. "I just have a few more questions for you three."

Natsumi looked extremely irked at that. "What more could you possibly want to know," she snapped. _Her extremely aggressive, no, defensive, attitude, despite just seeing her ex- die, _Takagi thought, _is it because she's trying to deflect blame?_

"Keibu, we've already told you all we know," Higure said, eyes fixated on the ground. _His lack of eye contact and meek demeanor, _Takagi thought, _is it because he's trying to hide his guilt?_

"Now, now. If we can really help the inspector solve this case about my brother, I think a few questions couldn't hurt," Honto replied. _He was too calm about the whole thing. His brother just died, for God's sake! But then, maybe he's not surprised because he's the culprit. And what was with the nice-guy attitude? _Takagi thought. _Argh_, Takagi mentally yelled, frustrated. Everyone looked like the culprit and no one looked like the culprit.

"Fine," Natsumi acquiesced, "What do you want to know?"

"What kind of person was your ex-boyfriend?" Megure asked.

"I hate to speak ill of the dead," Natsumi started (Takagi doubted that was the case), "but he was a mean drinker. Used to drink and get real violent."

"Huh? I thought you said he had been in support group and gotten sober," Takagi asked. What this the fact he was missing?

"That was all just an act," Natsumi explained. "He had promised me that he'd get sober if I promised to stay with him. But he kept on drinking anyways. That's why I left him."

"How'd he get the ring then?" Megure asked.

"He was a damn good liar. But that man never could pass up a drink," Natsumi explained. _That doesn't really help_, Takagi thought, disappointed. Takagi turned to Higure and was about to ask the man some questioned but paused. Something was odd about the man's behavior, beside the fact that he kept looking down at the ground. He kept fidgeting with his wrists, as if he had a rash or something. _Hold on_, Takagi thought, _could it be that-_

Takagi rushed over to one of the forensic techs and whispered a question in the tech's ear.

"Yes, that's certainly possible," the tech replied, whispering some more details back. Takagi smiled; he knew who the culprit was.

Takagi returned to Megure's side; his expression tipped the inspector that something was about to happen. Sure enough, Takagi made an announcement, "Sorry for keeping the three of you here. But it turns out only one of you needs to come to the station."

"What do you mean by that?" Natsumi asked.

"It means you've found the culprit who killed my brother. Right, Keiji-san?" Honto asked.

Takagi nodded, "I have. Isn't that right, Satoshi Higure-san?"

Higure's head snapped up at that; a look of dread painted on his face. "E-evidence, what evidence do you have that I'm the murderer?" Higure sputtered out.

"Yeah, don't go accusing Higure-kun without evidence," Natsumi said.

Takagi smiled, pointing to Higure's cuffs, "Those cuffs, they're the victim's, aren't they?"

"Eh?" Megure said, surprised, "Why would he be wearing the victim's cuffs?"

"If you mean why he has them in the first place, that's obviously because he's the one who took them from Honto-san's dead body. As to why he's still wearing them, it's because he was going to dispose of them in the bathroom, but was interrupted before he got a chance to. If you take a closer look at the cuffs, Megure-keibu, you'll notice they're the attachable kind. You can just clip them to the end of a sleeve. You'll also find that Higure has tucked his own cuffs underneath."

"Excuse me," Megure said, pulling Higure's arms out of the pockets that he had hid them in. The man looked dejected. Megure gave a tug on the cuffs and they slipped off, revealing a second set of cuffs underneath.

"How did you know he was wearing my brother's cuffs," Honto asked.

"He kept scratching his arms, like something was bothering him. It was because of the residue left on the victim's cuffs," Takagi explained.

"But if there was a corrosive agent on the cuffs, Higure-kun's arms would start dissolving too!" Natsumi protested.

"No, they wouldn't," Takagi replied, confusing Natsumi. "It's because only half of the corrosive agent was on the cuffs. The other half was on the victim's arms."

"What?" Natsumi asked, even more confused than before.

"It's a chemical reaction," Takagi explained, repeating what the tech had told him before. "There was a chemical on the cuffs and a chemical on Honto-san's arms. When the two came in contact, the two chemicals reacted and produced a highly concentrated corrosive agent. Though it seems that the chemical on the cuff was still a pretty strong irritant by itself, causing Higure-san to constantly scratch his arms."

"But how did my brother get the other chemical on his arms? I mean, without that part, this whole thing wouldn't work, right?" Honto asked.

"Higure-san had invited the victim to drinks. Natsumi-san said that Honto-san would never pass up the chance, right? All Higure-san had to do was wait until Honto-san was really drunk, then apply the chemical on his arms. Higure-san then waited until Honto-san decided to pull up his sleeves, setting off the chemical reaction. All he had to do then was remove the cuffs during the chaos that followed and there would be no evidence of his crime." Takagi explained.

Higure fell to his knees, face in hands. "I had to stop him," Higure cried, "He was going to hurt Natsumi-chan again, and I-I just couldn't let that happen. I'm so sorry." An office came by and handcuffed Higure, leading him outside into a police car which would take him to the station.

"Well done, Takagi-kun," Megure said, giving him a pat on the back.

"Yes! Megure-keibu," Takagi saluted, beaming. He had to admit, he felt amazing right now. The case had been solved. And it was all thanks to Conan's comment about cuffs. _Speaking of which_, Takagi thought as he looked around the restaurant, _where is Conan-kun?_ Takagi walked over to Megure.

"I can't thank you enough for finding my brother's killer," Honto was saying. Megure nodded. "I'm sorry, but I need to go inform my family right now. Can I come in to the station tomorrow to give my statement?"

"That would be fine," Megure said. Honto thanked the inspector again.

"That was a brilliant deduction, Keiji-san," Honto said, giving Takagi a smile.

Takagi laughed bashfully, scratching his head as per his nervous tic. Honto gave both officers a nod before leaving the restaurant. "Megure-keibu," Takagi said, as the restaurant doors closed again, "Have you seen Conan-kun?"

"Eh? Actually, I don't know. Did you see him go home?"

"No," Takagi replied.

"Maybe he's in the bathroom?" Megure suggested.

"I'll go check," Takagi said, heading towards the back of the restaurant.

Takagi walked into the bathroom, only to find it completely vacant. "Conan-kun?" Takagi called, but only his own voice echoed back. Where did the child go? _Maybe he did go home_, Takagi thought as he took out his phone. The digital display read 8:30PM. Takagi dialed the number for the Mouri Detective Agency.

_Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring…Hello, this is the Great Detective Mouri, AHAHAHA! Ahem. If you are calling with regards to a case, please leave a message after the beep. Ran! Ran! How do I end the recording? Geez, Otosan. You just press- Beep!_

_Maybe I'll try again later, _Takagi thought.

* * *

A figure grinned, looking at the blinking dot on the phone. The boy was still close by, what luck! _Luck or brilliant planning?_ the figure mused, grin wider than before. The boy- Conan was it?- appeared to be heading east. The figure looked up at the sky, looked down at the phone (8:40PM), and smiled. _Hunts always get the blood boiling!_

After a quick jog, the figure was quickly able to catch up with the boy, who was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Even farther up ahead, a man in black could be seen, walking into a bookstore. The boy, Conan, paused, and got down, untying and then retying his shoe, before standing up again and walking into the store.

_Hmph, not bad, kid,_ the figure thought silently, walking across the street and entering one of the boutiques. The figure trolled around the store, one eye on the merchandise, another eye on the bookstore across the street.

"Can I help you find something?" a clerk asked.

The figure smiled kindly, "I'm fine, thank you for asking."

It wasn't long before a man in black walked out of the bookstore, followed, a couple of minutes later, by the boy. The figure left the store, once again in pursuit.

After a short stop at the park, the boy was once again on the streets of Tokyo. _Soon_, the figure mused,_ soon. _But the grin instantly vaporized when the figure noticed the boy bumping into a woman and getting knocked down to the ground. _Was that-_, the figure thought angrily, looking on discretely. The woman and the boy had a short conversation before the woman headed off in the opposite direction. The boy bent down and picked something up, but the figure couldn't tell what it was. Then, the boy dashed off, slipping into an alley ahead. _No matter, _the figure thought, _this is checkmate_.

The figure made the way across the street and paused before entering the alley. The figure loved alleys; the shadows were just so comforting. Ahead, the boy had stopped and ducked into a doorway, speaking softly into the receiver of a phone. The figure managed to slip close enough to catch a few words.

"But Ran-neechan-" the boy protested, but an angry voice on the other side cut him off. "Alright," the boy said weakly, though there was a hint of defiance in his voice. The figure waited until the boy hung up; no need to raise suspicions after all. As the figure approached, the boy was deep in thought and muttering to himself. His demeanor was completely different than what it was in the restaurant.

"If it wasn't that man," the boy was saying, "who did Haibara react to?" _Haibara?_ the figure repeated. "It wasn't the waitress. So, it must have been someone who entered afterwards. But, who?" The boy paused, eyes squeezed shut. He let out a growl, "Who was it?"

"Too slow," the figure whispered into the boy's ears, one hand around the grip of a 0.4 S&W handgun. The boy was quick to snap his head around but the figure was a split second faster, bringing the butt of the handgun down on the boy's head, knocking him down to the ground. The figure had to give the boy credit; most people would be out cold already. The boy was struggling to lift his head, but another blow from the S&W left the boy motionless.

"Sleep tight, Mr. Detective," the figure said, kneeling down, a devilish grin growing.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

1. Yes, I purposely used "the figure" to keep the gender unknown. There are some hints as to who was following Conan though, so see if you can figure it out!  
2. Who attacked Conan? Has Conan been kidnapped? Does the attacker know who Conan is? What's the attacker's motive?


	6. Arc One: Kidnapped!

**Recap**: Conan was in pursuit of a man dressed in black while Takagi and Megure were back at the restaurant resolving a murder. Takagi manages to solve the case; the murderer turns out to be the victim's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. Meanwhile, Conan tracks the man in black to an alley. After a phone call from Ran, Conan is attacked by an unknown assailant, knocking him out cold.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

Disclaimer2: Under Crime/Humor because crime is funny (JK (mostly)).

* * *

_It's me, only, it's not me. I mean, I'm right here, right? So it can't be me lying there. But what am I, I mean, he, doing, sleeping on an operating table? Someone's coming. A surgeon? What kind of surgeon wears all black? That thing in his hand, a worm? He's lifting my shirt, I mean, his shirt. What's he doing with the worm? Placing it on the boy's stomach? Why? The worm's coming to life. Oh my God, it's burrowing into my, I mean, his belly. The boy's eyes snap wide open, looking at me. Me looking at me. Why would the boy not making a sound? Wait, what happened to his mouth? It's just…gone._

Conan became acutely aware of the throbbing in his head. It felt as if his head was going to split in two. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus, on anything; his thoughts were scattering before they could even form.

Slowly, Conan tried to open his eyes, blinking a few times into the darkness. And that's when the nausea hit, the overwhelming need to-

"Uaghh, uaghh," Conan vomited, "kehh, kehh." It took all his strength just to turn sideways so that he wouldn't choke. That's when he noticed the bindings, around his legs, his arms, and his torso. He couldn't see them, of course; it was much too dark wherever he was. But he could feel them, constricting his movements and restricting his breathing. Conan could only take short, haggard breaths.

He had to focus on something, find one thing to use as an anchor for his thoughts. "Conan-kun, come home now, OK?" the voice echoed in his head. "Conan-kun? Conan-kun?" the voice repeated. _Ran_.

* * *

"Otosan, Conan-kun's still not home yet," Ran said, looking over to her father who was on the couch, drinking another beer.

"Give him a call," her father suggested, eyes not leaving the TV.

Ran had already done that several times, but she entered in Conan's phone number again anyways. There was a pause before, "I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is-" could be heard on the other side. Had Conan's phone run out of power? Ran took a glance down at the time, 11:25PM. She had given him the call to come back over an hour ago. Had something happened? _Conan-kun , where are you?_ Ran thought silently.

Ran was snapped out of her thoughts by the vibrating of her phone. She hastily opened and accepted the call. "Conan-kun?" Ran asked into the cell.

"Ran-san?" the voice said across the phone.

"Oh, Takagi-keiji, hello," Ran said, audibly disappointed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I was actually calling to see if Conan-kun went home," Takagi said across the line.

"'Went home?'" Ran repeated, confused, "Was he with you before?"

"Um, yes, he was at the Little Shop of Horrors. There was a case there tonight, you see," Takagi explained, "The case is solved now, but mid-way through the case, I lost track of him. I thought he might have gone home?"

"He's not here, Takagi-keiji," Ran said, worry seeping into her voice._ If Conan-kun had gone off on his own again..._"I spoke with him earlier and told him to come back home, but he still isn't home yet. That was over an hour ago. I'm worried, Takagi-keiji."

"Did you call Agasa-san? He was with Conan-kun earlier today," Takagi suggested.

"I did, but Agasa-hakase said that Conan-kun wasn't there. Takagi-keiji, what if Conan-kun's in danger? His phone's out of service; he could be hurt. He could-" Ran could feel herself begin to lose control.

"Don't worry, Ran-san. We'll start a search party and find him. I'll give you a call as soon as we find anything, alright?"

Ran nodded, but then realizing she couldn't be seen, said, "Thank you, Takagi-keiji," and hung up the phone.

* * *

"Sorry, Ran-kun," Agasa said into the phone, "Conan-kun still hasn't come back here, either."

"I see," Ran said, clearly upset, "Sorry for calling again, but please let me know if you hear anything from Conan-kun."

"I promise I will," Agasa said, hanging up the phone and setting it down on the receiver. Then turning to the girl sitting across from him, Agasa asked, "Why are we telling her that Shinichi's not here? Shouldn't we tell her that he's here so she doesn't worry?"

"If we told her that Kudo-kun was here, she'd want to speak to him directly, yell at him, if nothing else. And since the spare voice changer is broken, and he's actually not here, we'd be hard-pressed to get his voice on the phone." Haibara explained, looking into the spare tracking glasses. "What worries me more is that Kudo-kun's signal has vanished." It had been missing for over an hour and a half. _Kudo-kun_, Haibara thought, _I told you __**not**__ to do anything stupid._

* * *

While Takagi had promised the girl that he'd do his best to find Conan, realistically, there was only so much he could do at this point. It was already dark and there were too many places the boy could be. "Conan-kun?" Takagi called, looking around. But only the chirping of crickets could be heard. Takagi sighed and left the park, directing his search elsewhere.

* * *

"Conan-kun?" Ran asked, picking up the phone.

"Ah, Ran-san," Takagi greeted.

"Did you find anything, Takagi-keiji?" Ran asked, on the verge of panic. _Why did Conan-kun always have to get himself involved in such dangerous cases? It was just like some other idiot_…

"I'm sorry, Ran-san. We haven't managed to find him yet."

"I see," Ran said.

"It's really dark right now," Takagi managed, more asking than saying, "I think we'd have better luck starting the search again tomorrow morning when the sun comes up."

"But-" Ran began, before pausing. It was unfair to ask the officer to keep searching; he was right after all. Conan could be anywhere and it was too dark to see much of anything. "I understand," Ran said somberly.

"Don't worry, Ran-san. We'll definitely find him. We'll be out searching as soon as the sun rises," Takagi promised. He offered some more words of reassurance before ending the call.

"Otosan," Ran said, looking over at her father, "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for places where that brat could have gone," the detective replied, a map of Tokyo splayed over the dinner table.

"Otosan," Ran mumbled.

* * *

He was in a car, more specifically, the trunk of a car, though it was impossible to tell the make from the inside. The smell of his own vomit permeated through the space, but was largely ignored by the small detective, as was the lingering taste in his mouth. All those were cast aside as Conan engaged his deductive prowess; he needed to be fully focused. The nausea had gone away for the time being and somehow or another the throbbing was contained. But he needed a plan. And to do that, he needed to understand what the hell was happening.

_Sleep tight, Mr. Detective_. That was the last thing his attacker had said to him. And that voice, it had sounded so familiar, but Conan just couldn't quite place it. The _Mr. Detective_ part also bothered him. Did his attacker know who he was? correction, who he was pretending to be? or was it who he was pretending not to be? Was it a random attack or had it been premeditated? _There aren't enough facts_, Conan thought in frustration. If only he could identify the voice! The haiku suddenly came to mind. Was that woman involved in this somehow? Was she trying to warn him? Would that make her his ally? Although, there were certainly easier ways to warn people than with a fricken' haiku.

_Hold on,_ Conan thought, _slow down_. Conan took a breath and cleared his mind. He was approaching this all wrong. The important question now wasn't who kidnapped him, but why. What motive could someone have for kidnapping him? Money? Was this a ransom situation? Or did the kidnapper have some other purpose? If it was for money, clearly the kidnapper was a stranger to him; anyone familiar with the boy's adopted family would know that his old man was dirt poor most of the time. _Speaking of, what are Occhan and Ran doing right now? _Were they looking for him? Conan wasn't sure what time it was, but knowing Ran, she'd probably worry that he wasn't home yet.

Conan's thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt braking of the car. It looked like they had reached wherever it was they were going. By Conan's estimate, they had been driving for about half an hour since he'd woken up. Conan heard a door open and then shut again. He could feel his heart begin to race as a latch turned, popping the trunk up. A man stood there, a smirk over his face. "I see you've woken up," the man said gruffly.

_This man!_ Conan thought, as he looked up from his supine position in the trunk. It all made sense now! _So that's what happened! But wait,_ Conan thought, eyes narrowing, _how would he know…Crap! Haibara!_

The man took Conan's expression as fear, prompting him to say, "Everything's going to be fine, little boy. It'll all be over soon." A light breeze passed by, rustling the man's black attire. It did nothing, however, to move his fierce grin.

In the distance, a clock chimed two.

* * *

Her father had told her to get some rest, but how could Ran sleep knowing that Conan was missing? He was just a child, and who knows what was happening to him. Ran pulled out her phone, the display glowing 12:30AM. Her fingers fiddled with the number pad, unconsciously speed-dialing Shinichi.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service, or temporarily disconnected. Please try again-" Ran hit the end call, cutting off the voice. _Shinichi,_ Ran thought as she started to cry.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

1. What is the kidnapper's motive?  
2. Can Conan escape?  
3. If you notice that the times seem a little odd, this is intentional and vital to the plot (If you didn't, take another look; it's vital to the plot! =P)!  
4. For those of you who might have missed it, the man who drives the car and confronts Conan in the last scene is the man dressed in black from the restaurant that Conan was following.  
5. If you don't get the opening scene, it'll all make sense later (I promise (but not really (probably…)))! As a hint (quiz) though, it's a movie reference!


	7. Arc One: Deductions

**Long A/N:** A good mystery is always a balancing act between being too easy and too hard. Too easy and it becomes boring. Too hard and people lose interest out of frustration. Since I've been stringing you guys along for the last couple of chapters, it seems due time to do some explaining. With that being said, **copious amounts of explanations imminent**! If you've gotten lost somewhere along the way, or have no idea what the heck is going on anymore, think of this chapter as a reset button! But, if you want to figure things out on your own first before reading Conan's deduction, stop and go back to the previous chapters! Don't sell yourself short and read this one yet! I've left a couple of breadcrumbs here and there! =P

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

_Dong. Dong_. A faraway clock chimed twice before returning the air to an eerie stillness.

Conan looked down and took a quick inventory. His glasses were gone, though that was no surprise. _It was Them, after all, _Conan thought silently. All his clothes had been changed too, into some generic kids' clothing comprised of a sweatshirt and khakis, probably sold at a dozen or more stores around Tokyo. _Another dead end._ Looking up, Conan saw the man was still towering over him, a grin plastered onto his face. "So you're up, little boy. Looks like you've made quite a mess," the man said (Mess referring to…anyways).

After speaking, the man waited, waited for Conan to react, waited for a response. Conan just stared back defiantly. _5, 4,_ Conan counted in his head.

The man's grin slowly became a scowl, but Conan never wavered. _3, 2, 1…_

"What?!" the man growled angrily, any trace of humor gone from his face. It was Conan's turn to smirk; the man's reaction was exactly what he had expected.

"Let's cut the crap," Conan said, dropping the child act altogether.

The man seemed to be caught off guard by the strong language. It took him a moment to recover, but all he could manage was, "What did you say, brat?"

"C'mon," Conan said, staring directly at the man, "We both know what this is about. You must have a codename too, right? Let me guess, Brandy?"

Conan could see that the man was struggling to resist lashing out, but he was fuming. "Brat, I don't think you realize the position you're in," the man said through gritted teeth.

"Empty threats? That's pretty weak," Conan prodded. Successfully, as the man lunged at Conan, a strong grip around the boy's throat. Conan squirmed and wheezed; he could feel his eyes begin to roll back.

Just before he lost consciousness, Conan felt the man suddenly loosen his grip. "Remember, I'm the kidnapper," the man growled.

Conan panted, trying to catch his breath. Adrenaline was rushing through his body; his trachea was also starting to swell from the bruising. "Ojisan?" Conan half whimpered, half croaked, his demeanor turning on its head. Conan's voice sounded terrible, the damage to his trachea worse than he had anticipated. The man just glared at him. "I-I don't want to play this game anymore," Conan croaked out.

"Game? What the hell are you talking about, brat?" the man spat out. Conan could tell his mood swings were confusing the man. _Good_.

"I-I thought you were pretending to kidnap me. That's why I said all those things I heard on TV," Conan managed. _Somehow, that sounded so much more believable in my head_.

The man seemed to buy it though, "I don't know what you're talking about, brat, but this is no game."

"B-but," Conan said, on the verge of tears, "I don't understand. Ojisan was so nice at the restaurant."

The man made no reaction to Conan's statement, instead saying, "Shut up, brat. We're done talking." The man bent over and scooped Conan up, throwing the boy over his shoulder.

Conan began to squirm in the man's arms, crying, "I want to go home."

The man smacked Conan over the head, "I said, 'Shut up'." _Just as well,_ Conan thought. He had gotten all he needed from the man. Though Conan's plan of provoking the man had hurt more than he expected, he had gotten the man's handprint when the man choked him. And the bruising on his neck would heal sooner or later. More importantly though, Conan confirmed his suspicion that the man dressed in black was not actually a member of the Black Organization. There was still work to be done, but, it was a start.

Ever since the man had popped open the trunk, Conan had managed piece together quite a few things. And with the new information he just gleaned, his deduction seemed even sounder than before. Conan mentally reviewed the facts he had so far:

**One**: the kidnapping was not just premeditated, but _highly_ premeditated. The man in black had obviously known that Conan was going to follow him. That's the only way Conan could have ended up in the man's possession right now.

**Two**: the man in black wasn't working alone. That much was obvious. It had been a double pursuit. He had a partner, the one who had snuck up on Conan and attacked him.

**Three**: and perhaps the most important fact, was the bait used. A black attire, an alcoholic beverage. His captor was clearly trying to represent himself as a member of the Black Organization. Conan almost hit himself for not realizing how obvious the bait had been. But that forced conclusion four.

**Four**: the kidnapper would only use such a bait if he had known Conan would follow men dressed in black who drank alcoholic beverages. And men dressed in black who drank alcoholic beverages didn't usually scream, "Follow Me," to children. "Run away!" was more like it. Thus, at least one of the two culprits must have known that Conan wasn't a normal child, but rather, someone with a special interest in chasing after members of the Black Organization. And if they still had Haibara's experimental data, well, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the organization knew he was Kudo Shinichi. That was the only conclusion that made sense, given the bait. And given the Black Organization's involvement, Conan had concluded point five.

**Five**: the motive behind the kidnapping. It was obvious, after all. If the Black Organization knew that he was actually Kudo Shinichi, they'd naturally want to interrogate him to see what he knew. And six went along with five.

**Six**: they'd naturally investigate those around him. Ran was probably safe for the time being. _There was that woman_, _after all, _Conan had thought. But Haibara was in serious danger. If the organization found out about Conan's identity, it wouldn't take a genius to find Haibara. And the organization had geniuses.

Given the Black Organization's involvement though, one piece hadn't made sense to Conan, until just now. That was how careless the man in black had been. Sure, letting Conan put the tracker on him might have been part of the plan, but not taping or gagging the child's mouth shut? That was kidnapping 101. What if Conan had started yelling in the trunk? And while he hadn't realized in the trunk, because it was so dark, there was the matter of the bindings…

Also, despite the two of them being alone, the man still kept calling him little boy. He was obviously not aware of Kudo Shinichi.

To test his suspicions, Conan had directly engaged the man, asked if he was an organization member. Certainly, the man could have lied, but his visceral reaction only furthered the conclusion that he really was in the dark about the whole situation. And thus, after confronting the man, Conan had his fact number seven.

**Seven**: the man in black was probably a hired thug. One could see why a normal organization would use an amateur. The man was disposable; he'd probably be eliminated as soon as the job was done. _No loose ends_, _right?_ Conan thought. But what bothered Conan was why the **Black Organization** would take such a risk. The Black Organization wasn't a normal organization; They had to have known the risks of using amateurs. _And yet…_Conan moved the thought to the back of his mind. For now, Conan just had to hope the handprint would be able to tell him where the Black Organization and the man in black intersected. Of course, that was contingent on him escaping from the hired thug. The thought of escape brought Conan to an unsettling fact eight.

**Eight**: the real problem, the assailant. "Mr. Detective," the assailant had said, hinting that he may be the one who actually knew about Conan's identity. It would also mean he was the one who was actually a member of the Black Organization. Moreover, in seeing the man in black, Conan had realized who the assailant must have been.

**Nine**: the Black Organization member was the victim's younger brother, Honto. Knowing the Black Organization, they'd have put a tracker on Conan and the only one who had an opportunity to, the only one to get close enough to him that day, was Honto the one time the man had picked the child up off the ground.

All nine facts led Conan to the following conclusion: the Black Organization, of which Honto (no, rather, whoever was disguising as Honto) was a part, had kidnapped him after discovering his identity as Kudo Shinichi in order to interrogate him about what he knew. The man in black was just a pawn to the whole thing.

Yet despite the conclusion, Conan was not satisfied with his deduction. Two final questions lingered in the front of Conan's mind, perturbing the child. _First, how did they know I would be at that restaurant today_? For such an elaborate plan, everything must have been accounted for. Had the Shonen Tantei been manipulated somehow? Or maybe the murder was the real bait to lure him to the restaurant? Conan didn't know.

And then there was the second question: _Why did they use such an elaborate ruse to kidnap a child?_ Sure, they may have known he was Kudo Shinichi mentally, but physically, he was still a child. He was small enough that a snatch and grab would have sufficed. It was fairly easy to snatch a child, muffle the child's protests by carrying him, and play it off to onlookers as a child in a temper tantrum. _So, why did they use such a scheme?_

Conan's thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of a door. By the looks of things, it was an abandoned factory. The man pulled out a flashlight, shining the light to and fro in search of something. Locating what he was looking for, he proceeded. It was the manager's office.

The man took a key out of his pocket and fumbled with the lock. It took him a bit before he finally unlocked the door, opening the way to an extremely dusty, and spider infested, room. The man searched with the light again, before spotting a vault on the far side of the room.

With Conan still over his shoulder, the man began turning the dial for the combination; Conan strained his ears to listen. Quarter turn. Pause. Half turn. Pause. Half turn. Pause. Half turn. Click. _Four digit combination, _Conan thought, _First and third digit the same; second and fourth digit the same._

The man swung open the door and tossed Conan inside. Conan hit the ground with a thump.

"Ow, ow, ow," Conan groaned, his throat still sore, "Ojisan, what are you doing?"

"Getting rich, you brat," the man spat out. "I heard your old man is loaded with cash. I guess it makes sense, being a famous detective and all." The man had one hand on the door, ready to swing it shut again. Conan squirmed his way towards the door, trying to escape. "Cut it out," the man said angrily, kicking Conan in the stomach. That sure knocked the wind out of the boy. Conan balled up, gasping for breath._ Guess he's still mad about before_. The man went back to shutting the vault door.

Just before it closed, Conan managed, "Ojisan! Please don't leave me here! It's really dark!"

"You won't have to worry about that for long," the man said, before the door shut with a click. Conan heard the gears turning as the vault re-locked.

"Neither will you," Conan said, pausing as he suddenly heard the man talking outside the vault. It sounded like he was on his cellphone, but the vault door muffled the voice.

"Mhm, mm mere," the man said, followed by a pause. Then, "Mmen mm m mmm m mummy?" Another pause. Finally, "Mmm!" The man hung up and slammed the door as he left the room. _Now_, Conan thought silently. He wriggled on the ground a little, and then stood up, the ropes that bound him falling to the ground in a tangled mess.

"Good thing he's an amateur," Conan muttered to himself. He flexed his hand a few times, just to make sure it still worked. Fortunately, it did. That was good.

But he was still in a crap-load of trouble. While the man in black was probably not coming back, ever, Conan did not want to be in the vault still when Honto came around. He had to get out somehow and warn Haibara.

Conan made his way around the small space, following the wall with his hands. The metal of the wall was cool to the touch and remarkably unremarkable. _Hold on_, he thought, pausing as his hands suddenly brushed over a dial. _Now, if only I knew the combination._ In the dark, Conan grinned.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

So. Lots of explaining happened as promised. Hope it wasn't too anti-climactic but it should have caught everyone up to speed. Now that Conan knows who kidnapped him and why, the question is, can he escape? The confident grin on our little detective certainly seems to suggest as much. And what will become of Haibara? Can Conan warn her in time?

PS. As to why the deduction is in list format, it's because poor Conan didn't have an audience. It wasn't like he could tell his deduction to the kidnapper!


	8. Arc One: Postlude

**Valentine's Day Special!**

**Warning**: Hey guys, so we're entering the unchartered waters of love, love and mushy, gushy stuff. After all, what's a better cure for all that depressing crime than some ROMANCE! Anyways, I'm terrible at writing romance, so hey, maybe then it'll end up exactly like the manga (JK!). I'm gonna need you guys to help out more than ever. Please review and let me know if any of the scenes are too ridiculous, overdramatic, etc etc. Happy reading! **End Warning**

A/N: Romance attempt one and two was just me trying something, ignore if you don't get it. xD

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

**Romance, attempt one**: The night was dark (and full of terrors) and… _Dang, someone got to this line first…_

**Romance, attempt two**: The moonlight above shined down, illuminating the blackness of his heart. Though lightened now, it was still hollow, never to be filled again with her gone. He could only stand there motionless as the wind blew, messy hair covering his eyes. It didn't matter though; there was nothing to see and he didn't want to be seen. The grave lay bare, only cradled by the outgrowth of some weeds. How long has it been? _Hm…what's the word…angst? I also forget what I was trying to do here._

**Romance, attempt three**: The neon sign glowed cheerily into the night, staving off the encroaching darkness. Its battle was almost won; the dawn would break soon. Looking at the sign, it had never occurred to him that he'd actually miss those three words, "Mouri Detective Agency." The boisterous, and miserably unobservant, detective, the girl who appeared strong, but cried so easily, and the freeloader. Quite the amalgamation of people, wasn't it?

_What am I doing here, just shooting the breeze_, he thought to himself. He glanced down at his watch, the face reading 5:37. It was horrendously late. _Or was it early?_ he mused. He wasn't making much sense anymore, the mind and body being a strange thing. While his mind probably could have run another ten miles, his body was at the limit of its stamina. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs to the second floor of the agency.

Each step was exhausting; his legs began to feel like lead. _7, 6, 5,_ he mentally counted. He had long since memorized the number of steps, though now he wished he hadn't. Counting just made it so much more painful. With one finally burst of energy, he made it to the top. He reached one small hand out for the doorknob and turned; the door had been left unlocked. He paused before pushing the door open though; what was he going to say once he stepped in? He really should have thought about it a bit more.

_Sorry, I got lost coming home from the bookstore_. _Oh, and I couldn't call, either. But it's OK because it only took me seven hours to get back._

_I walked into a tree and got knocked unconscious. I just woke up so…please don't be angry?_

_There were these aliens, you see, and…_

He sighed and pushed open the door. The inside of the detective agency was dark, only illuminated by the TV that was left on. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see the old detective at the dinner table, snoring and fast asleep, splayed out over a map. Ran must have been in her room.

He stepped quietly past the snoring man, incredibly reluctant to have any social interaction with him at the moment, and approached Ran's room. The door was slightly ajar and he could hear the faintest of breathing coming from inside. He gently pushed open the door and entered.

The girl was lying on a futon, softly sleeping, her hands tightly gripping a cellphone. Her rhythmic breathing was a blissful order in his chaotic night.

_Maybe I'll just pretend I was here the whole time_, he thought, but then shook his head, _No, that's stupid_. He couldn't tell her that, not after seeing her face. She had obviously been crying; even in the dark, he could see that. He crept a bit closer and realized she was mumbling something in her sleep.

"Shinichi," she repeated between breaths.

"Ran," he mumbled, gently nudging her shoulder. She must have not been sleeping very deeply, as his light touch awoke her. Her eyes snapped open, alert and searching, before finally fixating on his face.

"Conan-kun!" Ran exclaimed, a mix of emotions washing over her face. She embraced him in such a tight hug that he thought he was going to suffocate. He could feel his face begin to blush.

"Ran-neechan, I can't," he said hoarsely, though not from the hug, but from his bruised throat. Ran immediately loosened her embrace, and held him at arm's length. She inspected him from head to toe, looking for injuries.

"Conan-kun, where were you," Ran asked, "I was," she paused, choking on her words, "so worried."

What excuse could he have?

"A bad man kidnapped me when I left the restaurant," Conan said weakly, opting for the truth.

"What?!" Ran exclaimed, eyes on fire.

"But Shinichi-niisan came and rescued me," Conan explained, his tired mind drawing on standard excuses.

"Shinichi did?" Ran repeated, before shaking her head, "We have to call the police," Ran said.

"I already did. I called Takagi-keiji and told him what happened," Conan replied. His legs began to feel weak. Truth be told, it was only because of Ran that he was even still standing. "Ran-neesan, I'm really tired," Conan admitted. He tried to stay awake. There was so much that he had to tell her; there was so much that had to be done. But he had reached his limit. Conan could feel his eyes begin to droop and when Ran pulled him close to her chest, cradling his head in her arms, he hit the breaking point. Conan's mind blanked as he fell asleep. The last thing he heard was Ran mumbling his name, "Shinichi."

* * *

_Haibara, you have to hide, now!  
__Kudo-kun! What happened to you? You just vanished! Was it the organization?  
__Not now, Haibara. Go down into the lab. Hakase, lock all the doors and stay away from the windows. I'll explain everything later, but right now, both of you need to hide.  
__Shouldn't we go somewhere else then, Shinichi?  
__No! That's too dangerous. If they see any sudden movements, they might think you know something and act prematurely. Just, stay low for a while until I get back. There's something I need to do first.  
__Kudo-kun, you're going to tell her, aren't you? Don't do it. You know what's going to happen.  
__I-  
__I know you want to warn her, Kudo-kun. But you're hurt and exhausted right now, and you're not thinking straight! Telling her wouldn't do anyone any good.  
__Then what, Haibara?! I can't just leave her alone, knowing that she could be targeted by Them any moment!  
__I have a plan, Kudo-kun. But you have to promise me you won't tell her about Them. Promise me, Kudo-kun!  
__Haibara, you…_

Conan slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in a hospital bed; the smell was unmistakable.

"Ran," Conan muttered, as he looked to the right, noticing the girl fast asleep on the chair beside him. She looked just as exhausted as he was. _She must have been up all night_, Conan thought, smiling sadly.

In the corner of the room, a TV was running quietly, contributing to the ambient noise of the room. Conan got off the bed and moved closer to hear, not wanting to turn the volume up for fear of waking Ran. The TV was broadcasting about a dead body recovered off the side of a road in Tokyo.

"The police have no leads thus far as to the identity of the man," the news reporter was saying, "In other news, it has been speculated that the recent tsunami has contributed to the downturn of the Japanese economy. Japanese officials are scrambling between dealing with the tsunami's aftereffects and preparing for Kaito KID's next heist. KID has recently released a new heist notice, claiming he will be stealing a shooting star. While officials are perplexed by KID's notice, Nakamori-keibu had this to say,  
'KID! Are you listening? You better prepare yourself because you're not getting away this time!'  
And that's it for the morning ten o' clock news. Next up will be our paranormal activities expert, discussing the topic, 'When pink ponies take over the internet!' Hope you stay tuned!"

Conan turned away, his mind focusing on what he had to do. Suddenly, he felt so tired. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ran stir as if  
waking up.

"Conan-kun?" Ran said, looking at the empty bed. A sudden panic overtook her face as she darted her head around looking for the child.

"I'm right here, Ran-neechan," Conan said, surprised at the hoarseness of his voice. _I guess it's going to be like this for a while_, the boy thought to himself. Ran got up and ran towards him, quickly crushing him in another embrace.

Conan's eyes opened in surprise. "Ran-neechan?" he asked when she ended her embrace and moved him back to arm's length, hands still tightly gripping his arms. Conan stopped short of his next question. Ran looked like she was about to cry again. _What's going on with Ran?_ Conan thought to himself. He'd been kidnapped before, he could think of four times just off the top of his head, and she was no stranger to him getting involved in cases. So, what was with the overprotectiveness?

"Conan-kun, I've missed you so much," Ran said softly, "It was terrible not knowing where you were all this time." _So much? All this time?_ "Th-That time we were in London, I, you, we were," Ran stumbled through the words. _Oi, oi. Did she know already? _Conan thought to himself. _This is bad, this is-_ Conan paused as he looked at Ran's face. It was so incredibly open at the moment. _Ran looks devastated_.

She must have seen him look at her because she tilted her head down, her hair dropping to cover her face. _Can I really do this? Can I really keep lying to her?_ Would he really be keeping her safe by pushing her away? _What would really be the selfish thing to do?_Conan thought silently.

"Hey, Ran," Conan mumbled, quickly adding, "-neechan." Ran lifted her head a little, staring at him directly. They were so close that he could see his own face reflected in her eyes. "There's something-" he paused. How many times has he been in this exact position? _How many times have I almost told her?_ _Is it finally time?_ Was he actually going to go through with it? "-I need to tell you," he finished slowly, wondering what to say next. Ran just looked at him expectantly.

"The truth is, I'm Ku-ku-" An image of Haibara's disapproving face abruptly took over his thoughts, causing Conan to stumble over the words. "-Ku-old. Cold," Conan managed to finish, but his face betrayed his words as it started burning up. Ran looked at him oddly, but then pulled him closer. _Oi, oi_, Conan thought, _is this her way of trying to warm me up?_ He could feel himself blushing furiously now. Fortunately, Ran couldn't see his face.

"Conan-kun," Ran mumbled, "Whatever it is, you can tell me, OK?" _Ran_, Conan thought, _So she did know_…

"D-do you," Conan started, trying a different approach, "miss Sh-sh-shopping?" _Damn it_;he couldn't bring himself to do it. Ran move him back a little, that curious look again in her eyes. "Ran-neechan?" Conan asked slowly, unsure what to say next. Ran just held a finger to his lips, telling him to shush.

Ran moved her hand to his shoulder, pulling him closer, then closer still. "Ra-" Conan was about to say, but the words got caught in his throat. It suddenly felt so dry.

_Her lips_, Conan thought. He had never realized how pink they were, and while he tried, he just couldn't look away.

The distance between them slowly evaporated, or was it time that had slowed? They were inches apart now, Ran's eyes drifting shut. Closer. Closer. Closer.

Her intention was undeniable now. _A k-kiss!?_ Conan thought, his mind racing. _What am I supposed to do? Do I kiss her back? Do I not kiss her back? Wait, wait, this is wrong. I can't kiss her. I mean, I've kissed her before, as Conan, b-but the context was completely different. That was for CPR. This was, this was, a romantic kiss. Crap, what should I do, what should I do…_

Conan could felt the heat from Ran's face radiate onto his own and he was sure she could sense that his face burning up. Their lips were now divided by only the thinnest sliver of air. Conan squeezed his eyes shut just as…

"Ran! What are you doing?!" Mouri shouted, barging into the room. (Author's note: Oh c'mon, if you didn't see this coming, well, you don't understand the meaning of teasing =P).

Conan snapped open his eyes, only to be surprised by a quick slap on the cheek by Ran. "Oto-san!" Ran exclaimed, getting up. "I was just checking Conan-kun's temperature to see if he had a fever."

"Then why'd you slap him?" Mouri asked suspiciously. _Yeah, why'd you slap me_? Conan thought.

"It's the newest technique for taking temperatures," Ran explained, "You slap someone and measure how long it takes for their cheeks to turn red."

_That makes no sense at all_, Conan thought.

"Sounds painful to me," Mouri said, "Just make sure you don't check my temperature, OK?"

Ran just laughed it off and turned to Conan. That look was still in her eyes; this wasn't over.

Conan just smiled innocently back, what else was he supposed to do after…that.

"Ah, Mouri-san," a man said as he entered the room. It was the doctor. "Conan-kun, I'm glad to see you're awake," the doctor said, giving him a smile. Conan just smiled back. "Mouri-san, if you could come with me outside for a moment, I'd like to discuss something with you." Mouri nodded. It was probably about Conan's medical evaluation.

Conan really wished the doctor and Ochhan hadn't left, because that meant that he and Ran were alone in the room again. And after what just happened, well, things were a bit awkward. Conan looked over at Ran; she was sitting on the chair next to the bed, looking at him. As soon as they made eye contact, she looked away, embarrassed. Conan decided it would be best to just look out the window or something. His thoughts drifted to last night. _That's right_, Conan thought, _the black organization is after me now_. _I need to get Ran away from here_. Conan recalled the plan Haibara had described to him, which, though it may not work, was better than nothing. First though, Conan had to get out of the hospital.

Mouri soon returned with the doctor. He seemed relieved that Ran wasn't "checking Conan's temperature" again. "The doctor says that Conan should make a full recovery but he needs to stay in the hospital for a few days," Mouri explained. Conan figured as much, but he really didn't have time to be loitering around in the hospital.

"But Occhan," Conan said, trying to sound as cheery as possible, "I feel fine! I don't want to stay in the hospital!"

"Conan-kun," the doctor said, "Doesn't your voice sound a little different than normal?" Conan knew what the doctor was getting at; the boy slowly nodded his head. "And you had a concussion. That means you hurt your head pretty badly. You really need to rest, OK?"

"But I feel fine! My head doesn't hurt anymore!" Conan insisted, "And I can rest at home!"

"Conan!" Mouri yelled, getting impatient with the child.

"Otosan," Ran interjected, surprising everyone in the room. "Conan-kun wants to go home right? I can stay home from school and take care of him." _Ran_, Conan thought, surprised.

The doctor just sighed and knelt down to Conan's height, "I'd really recommend against it, but if you are dead set on it, then just remember to get lots of rest, alright?"

"Hai!" Conan said, giving the doctor a smile.

"Don't do too much thinking, OK?" the doctor smiled. Conan nodded happily, _if only I had that kind of liberty_. The doctor stood up again, and said to Mouri, "I've scheduled a cognitive evaluation for Conan-kun with a child psychologist. The appointment is 2PM this afternoon. You know how to get to the psychology wing of the hospital?" _Psychologist? I don't have time to talk with a shrink_, Conan thought.

"I don't want to go," Conan protested, perhaps sounding more childlike than he intended.

"Conan-kun, listen to the doctor, OK?" Ran said, smiling at him, but there was definitely a subtle threat in her voice. _What was going on with Ran?_ Conan thought silently. Wasn't she just supporting him in not listening to the doctor a minute ago?

"OK, Ran-neechan," Conan complied, not wanting to press any farther. He'd get the appointment over with first and then set about getting his plan up and running.

Mouri told the doctor that he knew where to go and after that, the doctor left. With a couple of hours to kill, the three of them checked Conan out of the hospital and went to a local diner for lunch. An uneventful meal and two hours later, they were back at the hospital's psychology wing.

"Otosan, I can take Conan-kun. You should go home and get some rest," Ran pressed. Mouri eyed Ran warily but in the end acquiesced. Conan watched the old detective leave. _He'll be fine…probably_. "Shall we go, Conan-kun?" Ran said, more grabbing his hand than holding it.

As they entered the psychologist's office, they were greeted with bright colored walls and comfy sofas. The two sat in silence, but thankfully the awkwardness didn't last long before a nurse came out. "Edogawa Conan," she called, reading off a chart. He stood up and Ran was about to follow him in when the nurse interrupted, "Just the boy, please."

"But I'm his guardian," Ran protested.

"I'll be fine, Ran-neechan. Look, I'll be right in there," Conan said, pointing past the door and down the hall. Ran seemed to concede at that and sat back down.

The nurse led Conan through the hall to one of the rooms at the end. Inside was a fairly big space, a table, several boxes of toys, and a television. _No lounge chair, huh_, Conan mused.

"The doctor will be here soon, Conan-kun," the nurse said. "How about playing with some of the toys while you wait?" she suggested. He sighed, and walked over to the box, pretending to have fun with a model airplane. That seemed to satisfy the nurse as she left, leaving him in the room by himself.

He really, really didn't have time for this. Every second, the black organization could be on the move. Conan had to set his own plan into motion.

It wasn't long before a sudden noise caught Conan's attention. Turning around, he saw the door swing open. _Great, an hour with a psychologist. This'll be a blast,_ Conan thought sarcastically.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Phil! You must be," the psychologist looked down at his clipboard for the name, "Edogawa Co-neh?" The psychologist paused in surprise. He looked up from the clipboard and down at Conan; a smirk made its way across the psychologist's face.

The psychologist's smirk gave Conan pause. Conan examined the psychologist critically, scanning him from head to toe._ This psychologist…_Conan thought, as his deduction kicked in.

"Oh, you can't be serious," Conan groaned, "What are you doing here-"

The smirk grew a little wider.

"-Kaitou Kid."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

I got carried away and wrote a super long chapter T.T well, longer than the other ones. Anyways, for KID fans, here he is! With KID involved, you can be sure the next chapter will be a blast! Hope the romance scene wasn't too…cheesy. Ran may have seemed a little OOC w/ the whole kissing thing but she had a good reason to do what she did.

**Next time on Memoires of a Detective: Kid vs KID, breaking the fourth wall! **Stay tuned! =DDD

PS. I didn't just forget to write about Conan escaping from the vault, that explanation will come in a future chapter. Also, I've made a status update for the story on my profile. So, if there are delays in uploading chapters, etc, I'll post it there. I'm sure there will be at some point, since I've been releasing a chapter a day so far but the story is not pre-written. ie. Bound to get writer's block, just a matter of time. Anyways, look forward to the next chapter!

Happy Valentine's Day!


	9. Interlude: A Wild KID Appears!

A/N: THIS STORY IS RATED T, AS IN ONLY MINOR SUGGESTIVE ADULT THEMES. SO, any sexual innuendos or suggestive themes you may see, or think you see, between Conan and KID are purely of your _own_ imagination. The author did not write them into the story. Their relationship is Platonic frenemies (at least for now)!

tl;dr Stop being perverts! =P

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

"What are you doing here, KID?" Conan repeated, looking warily at the psychologist. The psychologist dropped the grin, instead replacing it with a frown.

"Conan-kun, I'm confused. It's pretty clear you're the child," the psychologist said. _Ha. Ha. Word play_, Conan thought sarcastically, irked that KID was toying with him.

"The acts up, KID," Conan said, momentarily pushing his annoyance aside. The psychologist looked at the boy expectantly, and Conan, unable to pass up the opportunity for a good deduction show, took the bait, "It was the coat. It's not yours, is it?"

"Oh? What makes you say that?" the psychologist responded, lifting an eyebrow.

"You're holding the clipboard with your left hand, which means you're right handed. But look at the pens in your coat pocket," Conan said, pointing to the white medical coat, "they're all in the left pocket! That means whoever own the coat is left handed!" Conan pointed to his upheld left hand just to emphasize the point. "After all, wouldn't it be inconvenient to reach across to the other pocket to get a pen?" Conan chirped, gesturing the difficulty with his hand. "That's how I knew the coat wasn't yours. Which also means you're either a doctor who took the wrong coat by accident or," Conan said, a confident look on his face, "you're someone who doesn't belong here in the first place, a thief, for example."

"Oh? That's quite impressive, _little boy_," the psychologist said, a fake smile across his face. Conan twitched at the _little boy _remark; KID always knew how to rub him the wrong way. "But it's as you say," the psychologist continued, "I was in a rush this morning and took the wrong coat."

The thief's weak attempt to continue the ruse made Conan smirk."Hmph, that's not likely. There are other clues that you're actually KID, you see. For example, when you first entered, you were surprised to see me, suggesting recognition. But not just recognition, familiarity; you knew me well enough to be surprised to see me here," Conan continued, "Moreover, you're obviously not a doctor. After all, last time I checked, doctors don't carry guns."

"Oh?" the psychologist said, surprised. "How'd you know I was carrying a gun?"

"Your footsteps. When you first walked in, your right step was heavier than your left. That's because you have a gun hidden by your ankle. I'm guessing it's that card gun you love so much," Conan said. "So, let's look at the facts. Someone familiar with me, pretending to be a doctor, while carrying a gun; I can only think of one person-" _And that wouldn't shoot me on sight, _Conan silently added.

"Kaito Kid-sama, ne, Tantei-kun?" the psychologist finished his voice finally reverting back to that of a teenager as he dropped the act.

"It's about time," Conan said, "Besides, who'd actually believe your name was Dr. Phil."

"Oh? I thought that was a nice touch," KID replied. Conan just scoffed. "But tell me this, Tantei-kun. What's someone like you doing in a place like this?" KID made a grandiose gesture around the room with his hands. "Don't tell me you got hit on," KID said, "the head a little too hard during a case?" _That was a suspiciously good guess_, Conan thought, eyes narrowing. "Just a guess, Tantei-kun. Don't look at me with those eyes," KID remarked, putting his hands up defensively. "But was I right? I was right, wasn't I?" KID prodded.

"It's none of your business, KID," Conan announced loudly, his voice cracking with the effort. Conan had been distracted by KID's sudden appearance, but KID's question had reminded him of just how pressed for time he was.

Normally, Conan would have loved to do some more investigating, see what KID was after and the like, but well, there was the matter of the people who wanted to kill him and everyone he knew. And given that the actual psychologist wasn't here, he'd probably be able to weasel his way out of the evaluation. Conan moved past the thief and had one hand on the doorknob when KID decided to block his way by leaning on the door.

"Where you off to, Tantei-kun?"

"I'm leaving," Conan said, "Unfortunately, I don't have time to play with you today. But there are some toys over there if you want, kid," Conan smirked, getting back at KID for the little boy remark before.

"Ouch, you're breaking my heart, Tantei-kun," KID said, dramatically. "But, I can't let you leave yet. We still have a whole hour together."

"You do know you're not an actual psychologist, right?" Conan asked, crossing his arms.

"Ah, but this is such a golden opportunity, Tantei-kun!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Conan asked dubiously.

"I get a whole hour to probe that little brain of yours, all under the guise of a cognitive evaluation," KID said, practically giddy. _What was up with him_, Conan thought. "Secrets are always best when shared, right, Tantei-kun?" KID said, that familiar grin creeping onto his face again. Conan's eyes opened wider than normal for a split second, but it was long enough for the thief to notice. Conan saw the thief's grin widen a little more.

_Did he know…?_ Conan thought. Had Conan been sleepwalking and announcing that he was Kudo Shinichi or something? How the heck did everyone suddenly figure it out? Ran, now KID... _No, that doesn't matter right now_, Conan thought to himself. He had to get Ran back to the agency. "Move, KID," Conan said, hand again on the doorknob.

"Oh, c'mon, Tantei-kun," KID whined, "Let's play a while."

When Conan didn't budge, KID just sighed. "Nurse!" KID called, again using the psychologist's voice.

"What are you doing?" Conan asked.

"Getting your guardian, of course. What was her name, let's see, Ran-chan?" KID said, appearing deep in thought, a finger tapping away at his head. _Crap, KID wouldn't…!_

"No!" Conan shouted, surprising the thief. "I mean, I'll do the cognitive evaluation, alright?" KID smiled at that. Conan just groaned. As much as he hated the thought of KID probing him, the thought of KID and Ran talking, and either of them letting slip he was Kudo Shinichi, worried him more.

"Come sit down, Tantei-kun," KID gestured, patting the spot on the floor across from him. Conan reluctantly went over and sat down across from the thief.

"So, what are you going to do," Conan asked, looking at the thief.

"Well, it says here that you need a cognitive evaluation, and I got just the thing," KID said, pulling out some cards from his pocket. "Let's start with something easy. What shape is this?"

"You're kidding me right?" Conan said. He was about to make a remark that even a first grader could figure it out, but then, well, he remember he was a first grader, technically. KID just held the card up, waiting for an answer. "A circle," Conan said finally, giving in.

"Good boy!" KID said, giving Conan a pat on the head. Conan scowled at that, pushing KID's hand away.

"How about this," KID asked, pulling out another card.

"Square," Conan mumbled, glaring at the thief.

"Bravo!" KID said, applauding. KID was just mocking him now… "Last one, Tantei-kun!"

"Triangle," Conan said, "Are we done now?" Conan was halfway up before KID dragged him back down to the ground.

"Not so fast, Tantei-kun. I have a game for you."

"A game?" Conan asked. KID shoved the three cards into Conan's hands. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Shuffle them, and pick one. Then put the other two face-down on the ground."

_Oi, oi, really, a magic trick? I really don't have time for this_, Conan thought for the millionth time. Still, with no apparent way out, Conan complied, picking a card and putting the other two face down in front of the thief.

"Now, using ESP, I will predict which card you kept," KID said, dramatically. _He sure loves to show off_, Conan thought silently. "Was your card," KID paused for dramatic effect, a look of utter concentration across his face, "The square?" Conan pulled out the card he had kept; it was indeed the square.

"Good job, you got it right. Are we done yet?" Conan asked flatly.

"Don't you want to know how I knew?" the thief asked. "I might not tell you but-"

"Actually, I don't really ca-" Conan started but the thief interrupted him.

"Well, since you so desperately want to know, I guess I can reveal it to you. The secret is that people always pick the shape they resemble," KID explained.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Conan asked.

"It means you're square, Tantei-kun," KID said, laughing like it was the best joke ever.

"How far did you have to reach back for that joke, KID? Second grade?" Conan asked.

"Ouch, Tantei-kun," KID said, before pausing. Then looking at the boy, "You know what your problem is, Tantei-kun?"

"A wanted thief is trying to psychoanalyze me?" Conan suggested sarcastically.

"You're too uptight," KID said, taking Conan by surprise. That was not what the boy had expected the thief to say.

But then Conan smirked, thinking of a fitting reply, "You're right. Maybe I should go around stealing priceless gems."

"No, no," KID said, shaking a finger, "there can only be room for one great thief, Tantei-kun."

"You just love being on top, don't you, KID?" Conan replied.

"Ah, speaking of being on top, what kind of relationship do you think we have?" KID asked abruptly.

"Relationship?" Conan repeated, "You're a thief. I'm a detective. You do something stupid and I catch you."

"I mean do you think of us as friends?" KID asked, his tone suddenly serious. Conan looked at the thief curiously, but KID's poker face gave nothing away about his true intentions. _KID_…Conan thought_, were they friends? They certainly had some kind of convoluted alliance going on. KID'd help out, like protect the Shonen Tantei, and in turn I stop just short of capturing him. Was that…friendship?_ Conan was about to say something when KID abruptly interrupted, "Because people on the Internet certainly think so!"

"Haa?" Conan remarked, confused.

"Yah," KID said, full grin now, "You should see some of the things people write about _us_ on the Internet."

"How would people on the internet even know about you or me?" Conan asked.

"Well, for me, that's obvious. I'm the famous gentleman thief, Kaitou KID-sama," KID proclaimed, conceitedly. "As for you, Tantei-kun, looks like you have fangirls too," KID said, pulling out his phone and typing something into the search bar quickly. KID turned the phone to show him; it was a webpage of some sort.

As soon as Conan saw the page, he could feel his face begin to blush. On the site were pictures, specifically of him, with comments saying things like:

"Please marry me when you turn 18!"

"He's so adorable!"

"Does he have a GF yet?"

And the comments went on.

"W-who owns this site?" Conan asked, still blushing.

"Hm," KID said, taking back the phone, "It says someone named Megumi Ito." _That girl_- Conan groaned. Why'd things like this keep happening to him?

"Well, there this and the fact that we're always in the newspapers together," KID continued.

"That's because you keep stealing stuff," Conan replied.

"There are even rumors starting that say I'm just giving you the answers, Tantei-kun," KID said, completely ignoring the child.

"I guess that's understandable," Conan began, but the thief just kept talking. _He's not listening_, Conan thought, irked.

"But people write all sorts of things about us on the Internet," KID repeated again.

"What do they write?" Conan asked, finally giving in to KID's lead-in.

"I'm glad you asked, Tantei-kun," KID said excitedly, typing something quickly into his phone again. "Let's see, I'll read you some of the titles:

_Love love encounter under the moonlight_

_Knight Thief, Detective Princess_

_What he really wanted to say_

_Stealing a child's heart_

_KID's Kid_

The list goes on and on, Tantei-kun."

"Baro!" Conan said, turning red as he heard the titles, "Don't go thinking about weird things."

"Oh, Tantei-kun. Why are you turning so red? Could it be you're actually-" KID asked; the thief was suddenly uncomfortably close to the boy. A hand abruptly took hold of Conan's chin, forcing the boy's head in line with the thief's.

"KID, what are you-" Conan asked, but the words got stuck in his throat as KID began moving closer. _Was he seriously going to-_ Conan suddenly thought, his mind racing back to that time with Ran just this morning. KID inched forward ever so slightly; their noses were practically touching. Conan must have still been lost in the memory of the morning, as he reflexively squeezed his eyes shut.

"Hahahaha!" KID abruptly burst into laughter, pulling away. "Did you think I was actually going to kiss you? Hahaha!" Conan was blushing furiously now.

"No, it wasn't like that!" Conan protested, though his voice breaking at that very moment only caused KID to burst into another round of laughter. "Baro! I said it wasn't like that, KID!"

"Ahahaha," KID laughed, finally settling down. "I can't figure you out sometimes, Tantei-kun." Conan just looked away angrily. "Now, now," KID said, patting the boy on the head. Conan really hated it when the thief did that. "Look, the hour's over already. See, it wasn't so bad, right?" KID said, pointing to his watch.

Conan just got up silently and headed to the door.

"Tantei-kun," KID called from behind.

Conan didn't turn around, instead just grunted, "What?"

"The real reason I wanted to do this," KID began, "was to see if there was any truth to those rumors."

"Rumors?" Conan asked, turning around.

"The ones about you secretly getting the answers to my heists."

"Baro! Of course there isn't," Conan said.

"That's good to hear, Tantei-kun. I knew you wouldn't have a secret like that," KID said, rather sincerely. _So that's the secret he was referring to,_ Conan thought, relieved. He was about to turn and leave before the thief stopped him one last time. "Tantei-kun, be careful out there, alright?" the thief said rather vaguely.

For the third time in one hour, Conan was surprised by the thief's sincerity. "Shouldn't you be taking your own advice?" Conan asked, trying to be lighthearted, "You have a heist coming up right?"

"I'm serious, Tantei-kun. You can't fake bruises like that," KID said, referring to the black blotches on Conan's throat. Conan's hand reflexively rose to touch his neck; it still felt tender.

"I'll be fine," Conan said, finally making his way out the room.

"I know, Tantei-kun, I know," KID said as he watched the little detective leave.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Next chapter, we return to serious business and try to move the plot forward! Stay tuned! =D

**PS: I thought it would be a fun idea to actually write out the stories KID mentions in this chapter. So, you guys'll be able to read things like "Love Love Encounter Under the Moonlight". Keep an eye out for the short stories!**


	10. Arc Two: Prelude

**Warning: Angst for the first half of the chapter.**

**Reminder: Stories listed in chapter 9 by KID will be up on FFN soon for everyone to read. First story is up already "Love Love Encounter Under the Moonlight." It's a parody of Romeo and Juliet with Kaitou as Romeo and Conan as Juliet. Go check it out!**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

_Shinichi-niisan came and rescued me,_ the boy had said, that moment flashing back in her mind. _Shinichi-niisan. Shinichi-niisan_. _Shinichi-_

"Shinichi?" Ran mumbled under her breath, as she sat in the waiting area, her phone in hand. It always felt like she was waiting, ever since that day at the amusement park. _Wait for me, Ran_, he had said to her before he sprinted off and vanished. Vanished from the amusement park, vanished from her life.

How long would she wait for him? How long could she wait for him? The sad answer, probably, was until he returned, whenever that was. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say, whenever he finally decided to confess his identity to her. After all, he had actually been here the whole time, right? After all, Shinichi was Conan, right? And Conan was Shinichi?

While it had only been a wild accusation before, a thought thrown out in the open when she was angry, the idea that Agasa-Hakase made Shinichi test some weird potion, and thus shrunk him accidentally, began sounding more and more plausible. After all, if Conan and Shinichi were the same person, that would explain so much. The fact that the two had the same blood type, the same style of deductions, the same poor knowledge of music, the same inability to sing; the list went on and on. Not to mention the uncanny physical similarity between Conan and Shinichi when he was little. And, while she hadn't noticed it until now, there was the suspicious fact that Conan and Shinichi never appeared at the same time. Which would make sense, if they were the same person.

_But wait, there was that one time at the school play… _No, that must have been a trick of some sort. Shinichi's mother was really good with disguises after all; she could have easily dressed someone up as Shinichi. Or did she dress someone up as Conan and Shinichi was really Shinichi? Ah, the whole thing was so terribly confusing!

And that's what had always deterred her from concluding that Conan was Shinichi; there was always one piece missing. Some fact would always fail to fit with her theory. Whether it was her seeing Shinichi and Conan at the same time, or her talking to Shinichi on the phone while Conan stood smiling right in front of her, she could never quite conclude that the two were one and the same. But something about yesterday just rekindled that old suspicion. Perhaps it was when Conan returned and woke her up. She had felt a pang inside, but it wasn't from the relief of worry, as she had expected when seeing the boy safe. It wasn't sympathy at seeing the boy's bruised throat and hoarse voice. It was the pang of longing, of finally seeing someone who had, aside from the occasional phone call, vanished from her life. She hadn't cried immediately, her mind focused on getting her father to bring Conan to the hospital; but once the boy was in the ER, Ran felt herself lose control, big gushes of tears rolling down her face. Her father had asked her what was wrong, but she only told him that she was so happy Conan was safe. She told him nothing of the loneliness she suddenly felt, or the longing to see Shinichi again. Those feelings, they only reinforced her suspicion that Conan was Shinichi all along. Unlike other things, her emotions wouldn't lie to her, would they?

_But maybe I went too far this time_, Ran thought silently, as she stared blankly at her phone. Perhaps she had tried too hard this time to prove her suspicions right, tried too hard to find that missing piece. _Kisses aren't meant to-_, Ran began to think, but a sudden blush stopped her thoughts. What if her father hadn't interrupted, would _it _have confirmed her suspicions? Would Conan have finally confessed to being Shinichi? It was impossible to say now. But Conan had been blushing furiously.

"Baka," Ran scolded herself silently, "anyone would blush at something so sudden. I really am an idiot." But she had been so sure this time, so determined, probably because she had finally caught Conan in an outright lie.

Ran thought back to the phone call from Takagi, how the officer called to say that the police force was ready to mobilize another search for Conan. Ran had been confused at first; after all, Conan had said that he had called the police already. _Conan-kun must have lied_, she had thought, _but to what end? Why would he lie to me about telling the police?_ Ran had explained to the officer than Conan was safely in the hospital and hung up, but the call still bothered her. It made her wonder what else the boy was lying to her about, his identity, perhaps? That's what had spurred the sudden…had spurned _that_. It had even pushed her to force Conan into doing some stupid cognitive evaluation. She had hoped the psychologist would find something, assure her that Conan was too smart to be a seven year old. Only when they were here had she realized he could just lie on the evaluation test, appear less intelligent than he actually was. _He's so good at fooling people, after all_, Ran thought silently.

And now she was no closer to an answer, though things were certainly a bit more awkward. She could try to pretend _it _never happened, and Conan seemed to be doing just that, but…the moment lingered in her head. They had been so close and…Ran shook the memory out of her head, a sudden fear taking over. What if Conan wasn't Shinichi? What if she had just alienated one of the people closest to her, someone she really cared about? Ran felt like crying, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Instead, she speed dialed a number on her phone. The phone rang three times before the other side picked up.

"Hiya! Ran-chan?" a female voice greeted from the other end.

"Ah," Ran started, but was interrupted by the opening of a door.

"Ran-neechan, I'm done!" Conan chirped, walking out into the waiting room, the psychologist close behind.

"Ran-chan?" the voice on her phone asked again, but Ran pressed the end call button, and stood up.

"Ran-san, correct?" the psychologist asked, greeting her. "Are you this child's guardian?"

"Yes," Ran replied, looking down at Conan. "How is he, doctor?"

"He's fine!" the doctor reassured, "I gave him an IQ test and he scored right around the median, which is good!" _Median, huh_. _I knew this would happen_, Ran thought silently. The doctor looked at Conan briefly before continuing, "Although I can't conclude for certain, given that I have no records of any past IQ scores, but I'd say that he appears to be fine. The only thing that might be of concern is his nonhumoris, but even that is only a minor problem."

"Nonhumoris?" Ran repeated, "What's that?"

"Ah, it's only a temporary cognitive state, usually resulting from some dispositional development. Don't worry, he'll most likely grow out of it," the doctor reassured.

"Are you sure it's nothing, doctor?" Ran said, dubiously.

"Yes, yes. I'd definitely recommend a follow up evaluation in a couple of weeks, but for now, everything appears fine."

"Alright, doctor," Ran said slowly, "Well, thank you."

"No, no, thank you for coming," the psychologist said with a grin. "We had fun, right, Conan-kun?"

"Ya!" Conan chirped, all smiles.

"Alright, Conan-kun," Ran said, cautiously taking hold of the child's hand, "shall we go back home?"

"Mhm!" Conan said, nodding.

* * *

The trip back was fairly silent, with Conan appearing deep in thought. Ran would ask him the occasional question, like, what do you want for dinner, which would break Conan out of his thoughts momentarily and prompt a childlike response. But then the boy would return to a look of utter concentration.

_Shinichi,_ Ran thought silently as they walked along. _Why won't you tell me that you're right here?_ _There's so much I want to say to you_. But she couldn't. Not until he admitted who he really was. But would he? He had been so close to in the hospital; she was sure of it. That's the other reason she tried to…nudge him along. Ran just sighed. All this speculating had made her extremely tired.

"Ran-neechan?" Conan asked, his voice still weak.

"Yes, Conan-kun?"

"Are you sad about something?" the child asked innocently. Ran wasn't sure if it was Conan, the child, asking or Shinichi, the teenager, so she just gave a generic answer.

"It's nothing, Conan-kun," Ran replied, faking a smile.

"OK," Conan said slowly, looking at Ran for a moment but then drifted back to his own thoughts. It wasn't long before they reached the agency.

Ran opened the door, "Tadaima, Oto-san."

"Ran!" Mouri shouted excited. "Look at what came in the mail!"

Ran didn't know if she was more surprised at her father's enthusiasm or that he checked the mail. He was beckoning her over to the dinner table.

"A two week trip to New York! And it says in this letter that Yoko-chan will be there working on a new show!" Mouri yelled, waving around the tickets.

"Can I see the letter?" Conan asked, holding out a small hand. Mouri gave him the letter, too happy with the news to care.

"Dear Lucky Contestants," Conan read aloud, "First off, congratulations! You have been chosen out of thousands of participants to receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City. Come enjoy music, food, and wondrous landmarks! We have included the plane tickets for you in the envelope and we will have representatives meet you at the JFK airport. We sincerely hope you will be able to come! And again, congratulations! Best, KYKY. PS: We hear Yoko Okino will be filming a new TV show here; you might even have a chance to meet her!"

"Yoko-chan! Yoko-chan!" Mouri was chanting in the background.

"Oto-san, there's only two tickets here," Ran said, snatching the tickets out of her father's hands.

"Yeah? What's your point?" Mouri asked, grumpy that his chant was interrupted.

"Oh, I see," Ran said, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "You should take Okaa-san with you to New York!"

"What?!" Conan and Mouri cried out simultaneously.

"Why would I want to take _her_ to New York City?" Mouri asked.

"Yeah, Ran-neechan," Conan added, "You should go with Occhan!"

"But I still have school, Conan-kun," Ran replied, "Plus, I can't just leave you here alone, not while you still may have a concussion."

"I can have Agasa-hakase take care of me," Conan suggested.

"But-" Ran started again, but Conan interrupted him.

"It's really important that you go, ne?" Conan asked, looking directly at her. _That look_, Ran thought, _it was just like Shinichi's_… "Ne, Ran-neechan?" Conan pressed again.

Ran slowly nodded her head, "You're right, Conan-kun." Ran didn't know why, but it was really important for Shinichi that she went to New York. Could it be related to why he kept his identity a secret from her? She really wished he'd just tell her. She looked down at the tickets in her hand. Two, huh. "Wait, Oto-san!" Ran suddenly said, looking closer at the tickets. "These are for today!"

"What?!" Mouri exclaimed, grabbing the tickets again. He took a closer look and then shouted, "Ran! Let's drop the brat off at Agasa-hakase's house and head to the airport." Before Ran had a chance to say anything, they were already out the door.

* * *

"I can walk in by myself," Conan protested, pushing Ran away.

"I just want to make sure you're safe," Ran replied, still following Conan to the door.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Conan insisted, forcing Ran back into the car. "You're going to miss the flight, Ran-neechan."

"OK," Ran said, as she headed back to the car, leaving the boy on the professor's doorsteps. "Conan-kun," she paused, turning around again.

"I'm fine," Conan reassured for the millionth time. "Have fun in New York City, Ran-neechan!" Conan said, waving goodbye.

Ran hesitated for moment before the honk of the rental car forced her inside. Conan watched as the car drove off, heading to the airport. Conan sighed. It had worked, somehow.

* * *

"Have you seen this yet?"

"It's working perfectly."

"I told you it would."

"I know."

The two figures watched the blinking dot make its way across the computer screen.

"It's on the move," a woman said, the hint of a smile forming.

"I know."

* * *

He looked around, triple checking that no one was following him. _Good, it looks like the coast is clear, _he thought, as he approached the payphone. He had taken extreme cautions; after all, the situation necessitated them. Three different subway lines, multiple backtracks, and four hours later, he finally reached his destination. The sun was just over the horizon, the world about to be cast into darkness.

He walked into the booth and pulled out some change from his pocket. Normally, he'd use his phone card, but this called had to be untraceable. He just hoped that the other end had gotten his message that he wanted to talk.

He raised a hand and dialed the number. 184-03-XXXX-XXXX. The phone began to ring. _Ring. Ring. Ring_. A click as someone picked up.

"You shouldn't have called me," the voice said on the other end.

"It was urgent; I had no choice. Did you get my message?" he asked into the phone.

"Obviously. Why else would we be speaking right now?" the voice responded.

"So, what do you know?" he asked.

* * *

"Ah, he's on the move again."

"Yes. I wonder where he's going this time."

"Another payphone perhaps?"

"Can we get a trace on that last call?"

"No, the number was restricted and protected by some kind of encryption."

"No matter."

* * *

He sighed, wondering if the plane had taken off yet. _They'll be fine_, he reassured himself. He had to block out everything except the case in front of him; he had to focus. He pushed open the door and entered the phone booth. Again using change, he dialed another number. _Ring. Ring. Click._

"Who's dis?" a voice said on the other side.

"Hattori? It's Kudo. I need your help."

* * *

**Post Story Notes****  
**

Hattori Heiji gets involved! Who are the mysterious voices? What does Conan have planned? Who's KYKY? As I said, we're trying to advance the plot again! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Ran tends to get a bit angsty, but it's completely Shinichi's fault! Also, in writing this chapter, I've realized just how many people could potentially be killed by the BO if they ever discover Conan's identity (Ran, Shonen Tantei, Agasa, Kogoro/Eri, the Kudo's, Takagi/Satou/Megure, FBI etc. Conan just appears close to too many people and if the BO was really determined, they could kill them all). I've simplified it to just Ran and Mouri being in danger (in addition to Agasa and Haibara obviously). Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to future updates! **  
**

**184** is the prefix for making a restricted call (ie. no caller ID)  
**03** is the area code for Tokyo.  
**Nonhumoris** is Latin for No Humor. KID was making fun of Conan's lack of a sense of humor, though he tried to make it sound scientific and complicated.


	11. Arc Two: Escape!

**Recap of Plot Thus Far:**

**Saturday**: (CH1) Conan and the Shonen Tantei go to a local restaurant, where a murder occurs. While there, Conan sees a man dressed in black, who he initially suspects is part of the Black Organization. Haibara's shaken reaction confirms Conan's suspicions. (CH2) Conan forces the Shonen Tantei to leave and proceeds to help with the case. (CH3) After helping Takagi discover the trick to the case, Conan manages to put a tracker on the man in black and follows stalks the man around Tokyo. (CH4) When the man enters an alley, Conan follows, only to be attacked and kidnapped by an assailant, (CH7) later revealed to be a Black Organization member disguised as Honto, the murder victim's younger brother. Conan is taken via car to an unknown factory and locked in a vault.

**Sunday**: (CH8) Conan manages to escape from the vault by an as-of-yet undisclosed means. He returns to the agency and is brought to the hospital by Ran. There is a ShinRan (Or maybe it was RanShin) moment in the hospital and (CH9) later Conan meets KID at a psychologist office. (CH10) Upon returning home, Ran and Mouri receive tickets to NYC and are off to the airport. Conan, meanwhile, is busy making a phone call to Hattori. In the background, two mysterious figures are watching him.

**So, that's the story so far. Some questions to keep in mind while reading:**

Who are the figures watching Conan?  
Why did the B.O. use such an elaborate scheme to kidnap Conan?  
Why is there a two hour gap in the story line (CH 6)?

**Warning**: Terrible Heiji accent incoming.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

"Hattori? It's Kudo. I need your help," Conan said into the payphone.

"Ya, Kudo? Is dat you? I was wondrin' when ya call. You're in big trouble this time, ain't ch'ya?"

Conan was surprised at Heiji's remark, "You already know?"

"O course! After all, when do ya call me besides when ya in trouble?" Heiji asked.

"I call you for plenty of other stuff!" Conan protested, though he was glad Heiji didn't press the issue.

"I'm just kiddin', Kudo," Heiji said, "Actually, Neechan gave Kazuha a call earlier taday."

"Ran did?" Conan asked.

"Ya, I managed to eavesdrop on the conversation a little. Neechan sounded pretty flustered and says she was suddenly going ta New York. I just put one and one tagether and figured it had something ta do with ya," Heiji explained.

_Well, if Hattori is up to speed already, then this'll go a lot faster_, Conan thought. And time was of the essence. "So, what's your take on the situation, Hattori?"

"Ya in a risky position, Kudo," Heiji replied, "Although, I can see why ya sent Neechan ta New York."

"I know. The situation developed," Conan paused, thinking of how to describe the past two days, "rather suddenly."

"Are ya sure Neechan will be fine in New York?"

"Yes, I'm having my parents look after Ran and Occhan. With my dad's connections to the police in America, it should be fine."

"It's already dat serious, huh. So, what's ya next move then, Kudo?" Heiji asked.

"Well, that's why I was calling you, Hattori," Conan said into the phone. "I'm going to need your help."

"Ya want me ta dress up as ya again?" Heiji asked.

"No, if it is _Them_, _They_ won't fall for the same trick twice," Conan replied.

"_Them?_" Heiji asked into the phone, suddenly sounding confused. Heiji's sudden confusion only caused Conan to be confused in turn.

"Yeah, _Them_," Conan repeated, slightly less sure this time.

"Hold on, Kudo, hold on," Heiji suddenly said, "How many gals ya got chasin' those lips of yours?"

Conan suddenly blushed, "Baro! What the heck are you talking about?"

"Aho! Don't call me an idiot! Weren't we just talkin' about how Neechan almost kissed ya? Isn't that why ya sent her to New York, cuz ya were feelin' like ya had to tell her about ya identity?"

"Baro! That has nothing to do with this! Who told you about that anyways?" Conan asked, feeling his cheeks turn red. Thank the heavens Heiji couldn't see him right now. He didn't want to relive that experience of when Heiji had found out about his confession to Ran…

"Like I told ya," Heiji said, obviously irked, "Neechan called Kazuha, sayin' how she almost kissed Kudo. Now, is there somethin' ya want to tell me, ya best friend, about, Kudo?"

Conan scowled, but paused, and took a deep breath. This was no time for fun and games. "Hattori," Conan said, his tone completely serious again, "The Black Organization discovered that I'm Kudo Shinichi." There was a silence on the phone after that. Conan thought the line might have dropped. "Hattori?"

"Aho! Why didn't ch'ya tell me sooner?" Heiji yelled.

"That's what I was trying to fricken' do!" Conan yelled. _No, calm down_, Conan told himself. "Hattori, _They_ know."

"Tell me what happened," Heiji said, also calming down and completely serious now. Conan could just imagine Hattori turning his cap backwards.

"Well, it all started when I was at Agasa's house yesterday," Conan began.

(INSERT Chapter 1 through Chapter 7)

* * *

"So ya was kidnapped?" Heiji repeated into the phone.

"Yeah, I deduced that it must have been the Black Organization," Conan said.

"I came ta da same conclusion, listenin' ta ya, Kudo," Heiji agreed, "But somethin' is buggin' me."

"Why _They_ would use such a scheme, ne?" Conan asked, in sync.

"Exactly," Heiji confirmed but then paused, "Wait, Kudo, how'd ya escape from the vault?"

"That's the other part that doesn't make sense," Conan said.

"Whaddya mean?" Heiji asked.

"It was too easy," Conan replied.

* * *

Conan made his way around the small space, following the wall with his hands. The metal of the wall was cool to the touch and remarkably unremarkable. _Hold on_, he thought, pausing as his hands suddenly brushed over a dial. He could use this to open the vault door from the inside! _Now, if only I knew the combination._

Conan thought back to the man in black, when he had originally opened the vault. _Four digit combination, first and third digit the same, second and fourth digit the same_. Assuming a ten digit dial, that'd put him at a hundred possible combinations. But most locks had at least fifty digits, maybe more considering this was a vault. That'd put him in the thousands and there just wasn't enough time to try all the combinations. He'd probably run out of air before then.

_Wait_, Conan thought, hand still on the dial. _Why is there a dial here in the first place? _And what was even odder was that it was at a level he could reach. Normal vaults didn't have dials on the _inside_ did they? And certainly not at such a low height. _It's almost as if someone had installed the dial there on purpose_…

* * *

"Dat _is_ odd, Kudo," Heiji said, interrupting.

"I know," Conan admitted.

"Who d'ya think could have installed dat there?"

"I can only think of one person that'd do such a thing," Conan began.

"Who?" Heiji asked.

"That woman," Conan said, "Vermouth."

* * *

He couldn't test all the combinations, so he had to figure it out somehow. Would the Black Organization have used a random set of digits? Normally, that's exactly what Conan thought they would do. After all, the Black Organization wasn't likely to use a birthday or something obvious like that.

But, with Vermouth thrown into the mix, Conan couldn't predict what would happen. What were that woman's intentions? At the time, Conan had been distracted by the man in black, so he didn't pay the foreign woman any heed, but thinking back, that must have been Vermouth. And she had tried to warn him with that haiku. "Cool guy," she was probably thinking, "careful when you hunt lest in your obsession you become the hunted." Or something cryptic like that. That woman loved her secrets after all.

* * *

"Huntin' da hunter, eh," Heiji mumbled, thinking about something.

"Yeah, it's like in those shooting games, Hattori," Conan said.

"Huh? How's dat?" Heiji asked.

"The easiest person to snipe and kill is another sniper. Because snipers are so focused on killing their own target, they become obvious to anyone who might be targeting them," Conan explained.

"Hoh," Heiji said, "I didn't know ya were so into video games, Kudo. Wait lemme guess, you're the sniper dat always gets sniped?"

"Shut up, Hattori. It's Genta's fault for never protecting my flank," Conan mumbled.

* * *

If the dial was an indicator of Vermouth's twisted way of helping him, then the combination must be a code of some sort, something he could figure out. Conan smirked. Even in his current situation, he couldn't pass up a challenge.

Conan began to pace around the small room, eyes turned towards the ground. Not that it mattered where he looked; there wasn't enough light to see anyways.

"Vermouth, code, four digits," Conan mumbled to himself. "Not likely a birthday. A year, maybe? That'd limit it to 1X1X. No, wait. Secrets," Conan said, thinking. "Secrets. Codes. Black Organization. Black. Numbers." When he had hit the end of the vault, Conan turned around and began walking the other way. "Some number with meaning. Meaning to who?" Certainly not the man in black; given how he fumbled with the lock and had to search with a flashlight, the man in black had probably never been to this place before. "So, a combination meaningful to the Organization? Meaning." Did it have to do with alcoholic beverages? Maybe how many types there were? No. That was too variable. _The number of Black Organization operatives?_ Conan mused. He hoped not. "Numbers. Meaning." Maybe something from numerology?

"Hold on," Conan mumbled. While he didn't find any value in numerology, his mother had been really into it. "If I remember correctly," Conan began, heading to the dial, "For an organization cloaked in the shadows, there are two particularly fitting numbers in Japanese numerology."

Conan smirked when he looked closer at the dial. The number zero had been illuminated with fluorescent paint. That woman really did think of everything. Conan placed his hand on the dial, his heart beating just a little faster. Slowly, he turned. X. Turn. Y. Turn. X. Turn. Y.

When the dial moved to Y, Conan held his breath for a moment, straining his ears for the click. But the vault remained silent and the door remained locked.

_Maybe the order was wrong?_ Conan thought. He reset the lock and tried again. Y. Turn. X. Turn. Y. Turn. X.

A sudden click broke the silence of the vault as the latch unlocked, causing the vault door to swing open ever so slightly. Conan looked out the small crack left by the door and into the room beyond. No one was there. Conan grinned, pushed open the door with all his strength, and exited vault.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Conan escapes from the vault! But can he escape from the Black Organization? And what is Vermouth's intentions for helping the little detective? Also, what were the two numbers Conan used to unlock the vault? See you guys in chapter 12!

PS. Hope Heiji was understandable, haha.

PSS. Sorry for keeping you guys in the dark about the vault for so long. I thought this was an interesting way to structure the story though.

**Vault Combination**

X-Y-X-Y where X is one number and Y is a different number.


	12. Arc Two: Death on Duty

**A/N:** Take care to note the bolded text so as to not be confused.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

**SUNDAY EVENING, Conan's recap to Heiji of the events of Saturday night to Sunday morning:**

As great as it felt to escape the confines of the dark vault, Conan just wasn't satisfied. Something was nagging at him, a gut feeling that things were just…off. Conan mentally went over his deductions again, and then again, and then a third time.

The BO had kidnapped him after discovering that he was Kudo Shinichi for the purpose of interrogating him and finding out what he knew. OK, that made sense. Honto was the assailant and the man in black was a pawn. Check. But why risk using a pawn at all? It wasn't like the BO was in lack of operatives. And why devise such a complicated scheme when a snatch and grab had a much higher rate of success? And now, there was one more thing to puzzle over: what were Vermouth's intentions? Sure, Vermouth might have taken a special liking to him, for whatever reason, but to directly oppose the plans of the Black Organization? If the whole point of the convoluted plan was to kidnap him, why had Vermouth just brazenly set him free?

_I suppose it's not inconceivable_, Conan thought silently. After all, that woman had kept Haibara's secret all this time from the BO. Still, what was going on? There was definitely something larger at play, but Conan just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Conan's thoughts brought him to the main entrance of the factory. With a small push, Conan cracked open the door a little and peered outside, making sure the coast was clear. The man in black's car was no longer parked in front, and the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

_Alright_, Conan thought, walking out into the open, _first thing first_. He had to get away from the factory before the Honto-lookalike's inevitable return. He could ponder the BO's intentions after that.

As Conan stood in front of the factory, surveying his surroundings, a cool breeze passed, a reminder of the stark contrast between the musty interior of the factory and the openness of the outdoors.

A sudden thought occurred to him. How was he going to get back to Beika? Well, the first step was probably to find a main road or something. Then maybe he could get to a phone or a police station. The rest really depended on where he was at the moment, but it was a start.

With that plan in mind, Conan looked around, trying to find the way out of the clearing. For the most part, the factory was surrounded by dense forest, but a singular worn path pointed to the exit. Conan began moving towards the road, hoping it'd lead him homeward, or at the very least, away from the factory.

Conan didn't walk very far before he suddenly stopped, a dark object on the ground catching his eye. Conan squinted, and in the dim moonlight, noticed that it was a body. _Could it be…?_ Conan thought as he cautiously approached, trying to keep a low profile in case the figure was baiting him. Slowly, Conan advanced towards the body, which had still yet to move.

_It really is,_ Conan thought, as he finally stood in front of the body. It was the man in black. Whether it was because of curiosity, or an innate investigative disposition, Conan felt compelled to kneel down and feel the man's wrist for a pulse. But he instantly froze when his small hand wrapped around the man's much larger wrist.

"Shoot," Conan cursed, letting go. The man was certainly dead; he had no pulse whatsoever. That wasn't the problem, though. The problem was that his body was still warm. Which meant that the killer could still be…

Conan shot up, ready to make a dash for it, before a sudden _click_ stopped him dead. He knew that sound well, had heard it many times when he went with his dad to Hawaii, and heard it many times since in the cases he'd worked. It was the sound of someone taking the safety off.

Conan slowly turned his head around, only to come face to face with a 0.40 S&W handgun. It was the Honto-lookalike. _Damn it_, Conan silently cursed.

"Oh ho ho, what do we have here?" the man said, still pointing the gun at Conan's head. The gun caused Conan to twitch reflexively, prompting the man to say, "Don't move, now; I might accidentally pull the trigger."

Conan furrowed his brows, trying to think of his next move. Could he run? No, he couldn't count on the man being a bad shot. He had to wait for an opening; he needed a distraction.

"You're from the organization, aren't you?" Conan growled abruptly, still eying the gun. He already knew the answer, of course, but he was trying to stall for time.

"Oh? I'm surprised you know about us. I guess you're not just some ordinary brat," the man replied, a disinterested look across his face. Conan, on the other hand, could barely suppress his surprise; it was not the response he was expecting at all. He had expected the man to gloat, or lie to him, or bait him, certainly NOT hint that he genuinely believed Conan was a child.

Was this man actually oblivious to the fact that he was Kudo Shinichi?

_Matte_, Conan thought. It was certainly a possibility he hadn't considered before; the Black Organization didn't have to tell either operative the true purpose of the mission. Perhaps only high ranking members of the organization knew about his secret. _But_, Conan thought. That only brought another question to bear: if the true purpose of the mission wasn't integral to its success, why use BO members at all? Why not use two grunts instead? After all, weren't two hired guns just as risky as one?

"You seemed confused," the man said, still waving around the gun. Conan really wished the man'd stop doing that.

"You never answered my question," Conan retorted, not backing down a step.

Upon hearing Conan's response, the man just put his face into his hand and suddenly started laughing hysterically. _Was this a chance?_ Conan thought as he slid his left foot back an inch. Instantly, the barrel of the gun was pressed against his forehead, causing Conan to stiffen. "I told you not to move, kid," the man said, regaining his composure. Conan's eyes moved from the gun to the man, giving the latter a glare. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the man said abruptly, "That's it! That's it! Oh, this is going to be so much fun! It's always the ones that look defiant that howl the loudest!" the man exclaimed.

_This guy is insane!_ Conan thought silently, still maintaining eye contact.

"I didn't understand at first," the man kept going, though Conan couldn't tell if the man was just rambling to himself now, "I remembered thinking, 'why would the higher ups want to kidnap some brat'? For the money? Pah, what a load of ****. But now I see it! Now I see your true nature! Hahaha," the man laughed. _True nature?_ Conan thought, _Was he talking about my identity as the high school detective, Kudo Shinichi?_ Had the man suddenly figured out what his bosses had refrained from disclosing?

A sudden noise broke the man out of his self-induced hysteria and pulled Conan from his thoughts; a phone was ringing. With one hand still on the trigger, the man used his other to pull out a cell.

"Hello?" the man asked, putting the phone to his ear, "Yes, I'm here." There was a pause as someone spoke on the other line. Then the man replied, "Yes, he did. I was actually just going to bring him back."

_Back?_ Conan thought. Where they talking about him? _And back to the vault? Or back to the BO hideout?_ Conan returned to the conversation.

"The trees?" the man was saying, "No, why would I need to be careful of-" the man started to say, turning his head to look into the woods. But his words latched into his throat as a dull _thump _emanated from his skull, the sound of a bullet flying through, blowing the man's brain out. Conan instantly dived onto the ground, trying to keep as low as possible. Three more _thump_ sounds could be heard, followed by the man collapsing. He was long dead before he hit the ground though.

Conan raised his head ever so slightly and scanned the area. It was too dark to see into the woods, but it seemed the firing had stopped. That's when Conan noticed the phone in the dead man's hand; it was still connected! Instantly taking action, Conan crawled his way over to the corpse and pulled the phone out of the man's hand. Conan quickly put the receiver to his ear; a man, who voice he didn't recognize, was still speaking.

"Brandy?! Brandy?!" the voice was saying. Conan wondered for a second if he should say something, but before he had a chance to decide, the man on the other side let out a string of cusses and cut the line.

"What the hell was that," Conan muttered under his breath, dropping the phone onto the ground. He laid still for a moment, staying low in case any other bullets decided to come flying his way. His heart was beating much too fast, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Who was shooting?" Conan wondered aloud, trying to drone out the thumping in his ear. His mind began to race: Who else would even know there were people here? Was the shooter targeting the BO member specifically? Or was Conan the real target and the man just got in the way? Four shots was a pretty clear message: I want you dead.

Conan waited another five minutes, straining his ears to hear for any movements, footsteps, rustling, breathing. Nothing. It seemed like whoever was shooting was gone. Conan cautiously stood up and looked around at the two dead bodies around him.

_Seriously, what the heck is going on?_ Conan thought. He wasn't used to this feeling, and he found he didn't like it at all- confusion. Just as he thought he had things figured out, understood, his deductions were thrown into the washing machine: bleached, jumbled, washed out, and left hanging. This case was beginning to slip away and the realization was unsettling.

_Calm down_, Conan repeated to himself, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. _Make the observations, find the clues_. _There's always only one truth_. Conan took another look around, but still, everything (save for the two bodies) appeared normal.

_Matte, _Conan thought, staring back into the woods for a moment, in the direction where the bullet had come from. _There should be_… Conan estimated the paths the bullets must have taken, and, getting back on the ground, crawled carefully along until his hands found what they had been looking for: the sniper round. Hopefully it'd shed some light on the case.

Standing up with the bullet in hand, Conan wiped the blood off the bullet and onto his shirt. Holding the bullet up to the moonlight, Conan noticed that it was the round of a Remington M40A1 Rifle, the standard issue rifle used by members of the FBI.

* * *

**SOME TIME SATURDAY EVENING TO SUNDAY MORNING, in an unknown location:**

"Ah, you've returned," said the man sitting behind an oak desk, "I trust it went well."

"Naturally," the man who just entered replied; he was the younger of the two.

"Yet you look troubled," the first one said slowly.

"I am," the second replied, in curt fashion.

"What is on your mind?"

"I do not approve of this operation, in the least," the second one voice, clearly upset.

"Why? He was just a lapdog of the Black Organization," the older man said.

"There's too much risk," the younger man protested.

"Risks must be taken for the future," the first man said cryptically.

"I should be-!" the second yelled, but the first man cut him off.

"You gave up that right a long time ago," the man said sternly.

"Ane (older sister) put you up to this, didn't she?" the second man growled, his eyes darting around.

"Watch your tongue; you're treading on thin ice," the first man replied.

The younger man paused for a moment, decided what to do. Finally, he said, "I shall take my leave, Otousan." The man turned around and left the older man alone in the room.

"You can come out now," the older man said after a while, picking up a newspaper.

"Oh, you knew I was here," a female voice said, stepping out of the shadows.

"I'm sure your brother did too. Seems like it irked him," the man said, eyes still on the newspaper.

"Otouto's (younger brother) just grumpy because he broke all his toys," the woman said, taking a seat on the desk.

"He's not your play thing," the older man warned, setting aside the newspaper just to emphasize his point.

"I know, Otousan, I know. Still, your acting on the phone was quite impressive," the woman said. The older man just smiled in reply.

* * *

**SUNDAY EVENING, at Agasa's house:**

_This should work_. _After all, it worked for Kudo-kun_._ It should work for me; no, it has to work for me_.

Haibara shut the small metallic case and tucked it into her inside jacket pocket, her hand hesitating for a moment before returning to her side. Could she really go through with this? Did she really have a choice? Haibara sighed, trying to mask the anxiety that was plaguing her. She took off the headphones she was wearing and carefully placed them, and the cassette tape she was listening to, into a drawer.

"Hakase, I'm going to use the toilet," Haibara said, looking over at the professor who was busy analyzing some data on the computer.

"Be careful, Ai-kun," the professor warned, looking up briefly. Haibara gave him a slow nod as she crept her way upstairs. The lights upstairs were still on. Conan said to keep everything as it normally would be, so as to not arouse the organization's suspicions. _But isn't it a little too late for that, since they already know?_ Haibara though silently. The long game of chess with the Black Organization was nearing end game and there was only one move left that would ensure victory. Like Morphy, she had to make that move.

Haibara looked back at the stairs leading to the lab in the basement for a moment and then turned around towards the door. "It's time to end this, Okaasan," Haibara said quietly as she opened the door and walked out into the night.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

In case people get confused about what time everything is happening:  
First part takes place on **SUNDAY** as Conan talks to Heiji about the events that happened on SATURDAY TO SUNDAY  
Second part takes place on **SATURDAY**, but obviously Conan doesn't know about it.  
Third part takes place on **SUNDAY**, as Conan is out talking with Heiji on a payphone.  
Hope that clears things up.

Also note that **Morphy** was a reference to the 1858 chess match between Paul Morphy and Duke Karl of Brunswick.

Finally, some things to think about. Who shot the BO member? What is the BO's/Vermouth's intentions? What is Haibara planning?

See you guys in Chapter 13!


	13. Arc Two: Gathering Storm

**Recap**: Conan managed to escape the vault only to find the man in black dead outside. As Conan inspects the body, he is approached by the fake Honto, who holds a gun to his head. A strange conversation ensues, in which Conan discovers that maybe only the highest ranking members of the BO know his identity as Kudo Shinichi. Before much else can happen, the fake Honto, whose codename we discover is Brandy, receives a call warning about the woods. Just then, Brandy is sniped and killed. When Conan retrieves the bullet, he finds it is from a gun used primarily by the FBI. There then is a strange conversation between the presumed shooter and his father and sister, however not much is revealed except a few cryptic statements. Lastly, Haibara sneaks out of the professor's house to set her own plans into motion.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

**Sunday Evening, Conan on the phone with Heiji:**

"What happened after ya found da round?" Heiji asked into the phone.

"I followed the dirt path out and fortunately, it lead to a road," Conan explained.

"Sa, how'd ya get back ta Beika?" Heiji asked.

"That's the weird thing, Hattori. I never left," Conan replied.

"Whaddya mean?"

"The road I ended up on, it was University Ave. As in the road right by Beika University," Conan said.

"Hold on, Kudo, dat doesn't make any sense," Heiji said. "Ya said ya were kidnapped at ten, but when ya came to, it was already two. How could da kidnapper have been driving for four hours and still be in Beika?"

"Exactly, Hattori," Conan said, "I've been wondering about that as well. It only took me an hour to _walk_ back to Hakase's. It couldn't have taken the kidnapper more than fifteen minutes to drive there from where I was kidnapped. Yet I was in the car for _at least_thirty minutes. Which means-"

"Ya went somewheres else first," Heiji finished.

Conan nodded, "I think so, which makes the entire thing even stranger."

"Maybe da point wasn't kidnappin'," Heiji suggested.

"I thought about that too, but if the Black Organization wasn't trying to capture me, I don't know what they were planning," Conan admitted.

"If da sniper was an FBI agent, maybe _They_ were trying ta use ya ta lure da sniper out?" Heiji said, "After all, _They_ do know ya were being watched and protected by da FBI."

"I don't think that's the case, Hattori," Conan replied, "I met with Jodi-sensei earlier today and she told me she had no idea about the sniping or any FBI operatives in the area."

"Ya think it might 'ave been _him?_" Heiji asked suddenly.

Conan paused to think about it for a moment. _Could it have been "him"?_ It seemed quite unlikely, but then again, the last two days had been filled with unlikely events. Still…"I don't think so, Hattori," Conan finally said, though still unsure.

"Well, if da sniper wasn't an FBI, then it must have been da Black Organization," Heiji reasoned.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make sense either," Conan said, "Why would the organization kill their own member before the mission was finished?" True, the organization wasn't afraid to eliminate its own, Akemi Miyano, Pisco, Irish, etc., but why do it before the job was complete? If the organization had killed Brandy, then it just effectively ruined its own plan.

"We're missing something, Kudo," Heiji said, voicing Conan's own thoughts. Conan nodded, deep in thought. Heiji suddenly interrupted, "Ya, Kudo, dat man on the news, da one found dead dis mornin', he was da man in black right?"

"Yeah," Conan replied, thinking back to the TV broadcast at the hospital.

"Any luck going down dat path?" Heiji asked.

"I'm having Hakase run the handprint I managed to get through criminal databases, but so far, we haven't come up with anything."

"An Brandy's body? Were ya able ta get anythin' off dat?"

"I checked. He wasn't carrying anything identifiable, and when I went back with the Hakase later, his body was gone. The car was missing as well. From what I hear, the police haven't found a second body or the missing car," Conan replied.

"Which means, _They_ must have gone an done clean up," Heiji said.

"But why not get rid of both bodies? Are _They_ that confident the hired gun can't be traced back to _Them_?" Conan wondered aloud.

"There's somethin' fishy 'bout dis case, Kudo," Heiji said.

"Tell me about it," Conan said, racking his brain and hoping for an answer.

"What're _Their_ intentions?" Heiji said, giving voice to both their thoughts.

"Well," Conan suddenly said, sounding unusually happy, "we could just ask _Them_."

"Ask _Them_?" Heiji repeated, "An how ya goin' ta do dat?"

"Well, depends," Conan started, "can you get to Beika by tomorrow?"

Conan could imagine Heiji smirking on the other line, "Ya, if I take da next train. It sounds like ya got a plan, Kudo!"

"Maybe," Conan said elusively. "Ne Hattori, what do you know about KID's next heist?"

* * *

**Conan's flashback to earlier Sunday before calling Heiji:**

_Ring. Ring. Ring_. _Click._

"You shouldn't have called me," the voice said, picking up the phone.

"It was urgent; I had no choice. Did you get my message?" the caller asked into the phone.

"Obviously. Why else would we be speaking right now?" the first voice responded.

"So, what do you know," the caller asked, "Mizunashi Rena-san?"

"There's not much I can tell you, Conan-kun," Rena replied. "All I can say is that the organization is on the move."

"Do you know their target?" Conan asked.

"The rare minerals exhibition that's scheduled for tomorrow night," Rena replied. But before Conan could say thing else, she quickly whispered, "Someone's coming." With that, the line went dead.

_Rare mineral exhibition_? Conan thought silently. _Wait, wasn't that…?_

* * *

**Sunday evening, after Conan's phone call to Heiji:**

Conan crept silently around back and doubled checked that no one was following him before he slipped inside the house. The lights were still on, just the way he had left them and nothing seemed out of place. The room was eerily quiet though.

"Hakase?" Conan whispered, trying to locate the burly man. "Hakase?" _Was the professor still down in the lab?_ Conan wondered.

"Shinichi!" a voice suddenly exclaimed, "Something terrible has happened!" Conan turned around in time to see the professor running towards him. "Ai-kun's vanished!"

"What?!" Conan exclaimed.

* * *

**Sunday evening, somewhere in Beika:**

"Hi, is this the Beika Times?" a woman's voice said into the phone.

"Yes. How may we help you?" the receptionist asked.

"I'd like to place an advertisement for tomorrow's paper," the woman said.

"Alright, we can do that. What would you like your advertisement to say?"

_Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,_

_Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before,_

_Nor shall dream again, for at the skyline of the blackest gems,_

_On morrow's eve I shall dream, I shall dream, then dream I shall, nevermore_

the woman recited.

"OK…" the receptionist said slowly, a little disturbed. "And what name would you like to put with that advertisement, ma'am?"

"Miyano," the woman replied, "Akemi Miyano."

* * *

**Somewhere in Ekoda:**

"Jii, this one isn't strong enough!" the young man complained, tossing the drill aside.

"I'm sorry, Bocchama, but it's the strongest one they sell!" Jii replied, picking up the discarded drill; the bit had taken a beating and was quite deformed.

"Then I guess I'll just have to make a custom one," the young man said to himself, sighing as he pulled up his sleeves. He took a glance at the clock, 9PM. "Dang," he mumbled. He had to hurry if he was going to make it on time for tomorrow night.

* * *

**At the Beika airport:**

"Bocchama," the old lady said, greeting the young man as he stepped out of the terminal, "I take it your flight from England was without issue?"

"It was fine, Baaya," the young man replied, "Shall we head home? I'm really tired from the flight and I do have school tomorrow."

"Of course, Bocchama, as you wish," the woman replied, leading the way to the car. The young man followed along, suitcase in tow. England had been interesting but he was glad to be back in Japan.

_After all, there is that "special" event happening tomorrow night_, the young man thought to himself, a grin spreading across his face.

* * *

**Somewhere in Japan:**

"Is everything prepared for tomorrow night?" the man asked into his cellphone.

"We've prepared roosts in the buildings across from the exhibition. No one can get in or out without us seeing," a voice replied.

"Good, Chianti," the man replied, "Korn, any news on the target?"

"It'll be there, Gin," Korn replied briefly.

"Good. Let me know if there are any changes," Gin said, before hanging up.

"What's up, Aniki? You look happier than usual. Did something happen?" the man sitting next to Gin asked.

"Nothing in particular, Vodka. It's just that things are finally starting to get interesting," Gin replied, lighting a cigarette while trying to contain his smirk.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

For the poem in the story, I only wrote the last two lines. The first two lines are from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven", in case anyone was wondering.

**Vault Code Solution**

**4-6-4-6 or 6-4-6-4**.

**Four** in Japanese numerology is **death**.

**Six** in Japanese numerology is **pain**.


	14. Fluff: Deduction Show 1

**Warning**: Fluff chapter. No (plot) bunnies were sacrificed in the making of this chapter (since there's no plot). Read at your own amusement.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan.

**A/N**: If you want your username removed from the chapter, send me a PM.

* * *

_**Narrator**: Two chairs sit vacant behind the desk, awaiting the start of the show. Overhead, the lights dim; spotlights focus on the desk, highlighting the baby blue backdrop behind. A boy walks into the camera frame from off stage. He appears to be no older than seven or eight, big round glasses bespectacling his eyes. He looks directly at the camera._

"Konbanwa, mina-san," the boy says with a slight bow, the subtitles on large displays to either side of him translating _Good evening, everyone._ "Thank you for joining us today as we analyze the fan fiction, 'The Memoires of a-'" he continues, before a sudden holler interrupts him.

"Ya, Kudo!" the voice calls from offstage, drawing the boy's attention; an irked expression crosses the boy's face. "D'ya start recordin' already? Ah, looks like ya have!"

_A teenager walks into frame, inspecting the flashing red light of the camera._

"Why ya start without me, Kudo?" the new arrival asks.

"Hattori," the little boy growls, "You're messing up the shot."

"Maybe ya should have waited fa me den!" the teen retorts.

"You were in the bathroom for two hours, Hattori. How was I supposed to know when you'd be done?" the boy replied.

"Hmph, sa much for da great detective of da east," the teen said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Who the heck could deduce something like that?!" the boy yelled, before calming himself down. "Never mind. Let's just get this started," he said, turning to once again look at the camera. "Konbanwa, mina-san. Edogawa Conan, tantei sa," the boy repeated, "And this is-"

"-Hattori Heiji, great detective of da west!" the teen cut in. The two then looked directly at the camera.

"Welcome to the Honan and Keiji Deduction Show!" the two said in unison, but then immediately turned to other.

"Da heck was dat, Kudo?" the teen asked, turning to the boy, "We agreed it was the Heiji and Conan Deduction Show!"

"No, you agreed," the boy replied, "I still think it should be the Conan and Heiji Deduction Show."

"Ahou! It obviously goes by seniority!" the teen explained.

"We're the same age, Hattori," the boy replied, rubbing his temples.

"Correction, we _were_ da same age, Kudo," the teen said, grinning. "Now ya just da shadow of ya former self," the teen said, rubbing the boy's head.

The boy slapped the teen's hand away, "The heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, nothin'," the teen said, grinning, "Oh, looks like it's a commercial break already."

* * *

Commercial: Use your imagination.

* * *

_Returning to the set, the boy and teen have taken their spots behind the desk. They appear much more amiable than before the break. A signal from the director prompts the boy to start speaking_.

"As mentioned before the break, today's show will feature a rundown of the fan fiction story, 'The Memoires of a Detective,' written by some person by the handle _whitedoyle_. Let's start with the title. What do you make of it, Hattori?" the boy said, turning it over to the teen.

"It's obviously a reference ta Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story, 'Da Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'. Though interestingly enough, Doyle was British and even he didn't spell memoirs with da extra 'e'," the teen replied.

"Why d'you think this particular title was used?"

"Well, ya heard 'bout 'Da Final Problem'?" the teen asked. The boy nodded.

"When Holmes and Moriarty both fell into Reichenbach Falls, one of my personal favorites."

"Might be alludin' ta dat."

"Ah, then I suppose I'm Holmes and the Black Organization is Moriarty?"

"I'm not goin' ta be Watson," the teen snapped.

"Alright...moving on," the boy said abruptly, leading the conversation in a different direction, "There were a couple of interesting references in the story, weren't there? Like the Death Note reference in Chapter 1?"

The teen seemed to forget about the Watson issue. "Ya, there was also a reference ta da fourth Detective Conan movie in Chapta 5, a Matrix reference in Chapta 6, and a Game a Thrones reference in Chapta 8."

"That's right, a lot of readers have been wondering about the Matrix reference. Any ideas?"

"Dunno wat da author was thinkin' includin' such a creepy scene."

"Ah, speaking of creeps," the boy said, "What do you think is the Black Organization's goal in this story?"

"Dunno dat either," the teen shrugged, "but at least we know dat woman Vermouth is involved."

"I suppose, though I could never figure out her intentions, in the story or in real life," the boy admitted.

"I think she has a thing for ya, Kudo, and not just in the story," Hattori suggested with a wink.

"Baro!" the boy replied, looking away.

"Ho! Kudo, what's wrong? Oh right, ya already got Neechan ta love love with; must be a dilemma for ya," the teen teased.

"T-that's just in the story," the boy protested, crossing his arms in dismay, "I never kissed her in real life."

"Uh-huh, wateva ya say, Kudo. But, just know, I got proof," the teen grinned.

"W-what," the boy stuttered out, suddenly flushed. "What kind of proof?"

"Oh, ya want ta know, d'ya?" the teen said, still grinning.

"Baro, not particularly," the boy replied, though it was evident from his face that he was curious.

"Haha," the teen laughed, "Ya, KID, c'mere for a sec!"

"W-what, you called him here?" the boy managed, eyeing the white-clad thief appear from a puff of smoke behind them.

"I answer your call, Hattori-sama," the thief said with a bow. "Perhaps this was the proof you were alluding to?" the thief said, pulling out a stack of photos from his pocket and handing it to the other teen.

"Ah, exactly! Take a look, Kudo," the teen said, passing over the photos to the boy.

"W-what, where, h-how, this isn't even me! Did you get someone to cosplay for these photos, Hattori?" the boy asked, glaring at the pictures.

"Ah, that reminds me," the thief said, a mischievous look suddenly on his face, "I have some of Hattori-sama and Kazuha-chan as well."

"W-wat, Ahou!" the dark skinned teen yelled. It was the boy's turn to grin.

"Let me see," the boy said, holding out his hands. The thief pulled another stack of photos out of his pocked and placed it into the boy's outstretched hands. "Oh, this is good," the boy said, flipping through the pictures. "Oh!" the boy suddenly exclaimed, giving the dark skinned teen a look, "Hattori, I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff."

"Ahou! Gimme those," the teen yelled, grabbing for the photos. But the boy managed to keep them out of reach. "I said gimme!" the teen yelled again, jumping towards the boy. The boy leaped out of his seat and ran off, pictures still in hand.

"Wait until Kazuha-san sees these," the boy shouted back as he ran away.

"Ahou!" the dark skinned teen yelled, running after the boy. The thief was left alone at the desk.

"Yare, yare," the thief said, sitting down behind the desk. He picked up a piece of paper sitting on the surface, eyeing the words. "Well, while our detectives are busy with personal matters, let's proceed with the show, shall we? Let's see, how about we address some reviews and questions by the readers?" the thief announced, scanning the paper. "Hmmm," the thief said thoughtfully before finally deciding on one. "TheLameDreamer asks, 'Will KID play a part in the next few chapters?'" the thief read, "Of course! After all, I'm the main character! I'm mean, sure, it's called Detective _Conan_, but I'm not so vain as to have my name in the title of my own manga (insert Magic Kaito joke here)."

The thief looked down and picked out another one. "Let's see, MnC21 writes, 'Who is Megumi Ito?' the girl referenced in chapter 9. Well, good question," the thief said, "If I recall, she is an anime only character who has a huge crush on Tantei-kun. Maybe I have a couple of those photos too….Ah, maybe later. Let's move on to the next question.

"ILoveFanfiction-AnimeAdik writes, 'What is Haibara planning?' Another excellent question. Based on what I've read from Wikipedia, Haibara tends to try and confront the Black Organization by herself, as noted in the bus jacking case. She will probably do something similar this time was well. Hope that answers the question. Moving right along, let's see," the thief paused, again scanning the list, "Ah, here's one everyone's probably wondering.

"MagicMilkbone asks, 'Who shot the Black Organization member?' Unfortunately, even I, the great Kaito KID, does not know the answer to this one. As Tantei-kun reasons however, it must either be the FBI or the Black Organization, though neither has a clear motive.

"And now we have time for one last question. This one's from Tobina, who writes, 'And the "him" - should it be Akai?' in references to chapter 13. And the answer to that is yes! Tantei-kun was talking about Akai Shuichi, one of the members of the FBI.

"Which brings me to the final point of the night, asked by dcremix42, 'At what point in the manga does the story take place?' Well, based on my insider knowledge, alright I stole the writer's diary, the story is supposed to take place sometime after Akai ***spoiler*** is killed by Kir ***spoiler*** but before the introduction of Bourbon. Oddly enough, future events such as Tantei-kun's confession, which occur way after Bourbon's introduction, are also included, which seems like an oversight on the part of the writer. But anyways, that is all for tonight, ladies and gentlemen. Hope you enjoyed the show. I bid you farewell."

_With one last remark, the thief disappears in a puff of smoke. The desk is once again empty as all the studio lights dim._

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Alright, you caught me. This chapter was really just one long author's note in disguise. But I hope I addressed some of the common questions sent to me in both PM and reviews. Plus I wanted to release something but the next chapter wasn't quite done yet. *Forgive me*

Next chapter for sure, Chapter 15: Clash! See you guys in the next chapter!


	15. Arc Two: Clash!

**Here's a timeline of events IN ORDER for everyone (since things were told out of order, this might be easier to use for deductions or speculation or w/e):  
Saturday**:  
5:30PM - Conan and company go to a local restaurant.  
6:00PM - A murder happens.  
7:00PM - Takagi is busy solving the case while Conan chases after the presumed man in black.  
8:30PM - The case gets solved.  
8:40PM - Honto leaves the restaurant and follows Conan.  
10:00PM - Honto attacks Conan, kidnaps him.  
**10:00PM to 2:00AM - UNKNOWN? MISSING FOUR HOURS?**

**Sunday**:  
2:00 AM - Conan wakes up in car, discovers man in black is kidnapper.  
2:15 AM - Conan thrown into vault.  
2:45 AM - Conan escapes from vault; sniper kills Honto.  
4:17 AM - Conan returns to Agasa's house, warns Haibara.  
5:37 AM - Conan returns to Mouri Detective Agency.  
6:30 AM - Conan hospitalized.  
2:00 PM - Conan goes to psychology office, meets KID.  
5:30 PM - Ran off on plane to New York.  
8:30 PM - Conan talks to Rena on phone. Haibara sneaks out of Agasa's.  
9:30 PM - Conan talks to Heiji on phone.

**Monday**:  
1:15 AM - Conan discovers that Haibara is missing

Hope that clears things up for anyone who was confused about timing. Let me know if any of the times are wrong.

**A/N: A lot of you have wrote in the reviews that you want to see more KID. Well, I've read the reviews and listened =] So, here is another chapter filled with everyone's favorite magician/thief (magief? No? OK...) Anyways, thanks! You guys are the best!**

**Warning: Epicness eminent. Read at your own discretion if you are weak of heart or cannot stand awesomeness (or this chapter could just be totally lame).**

Thanks to espionagelies for proofreading!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

**Sunday, around 1:45PM, Beika Hospital**

Kaito looked on impatiently but, aside from the usual people entering and exiting, there still wasn't any movement in the building across the street. No sign of the police or the Kaito KID task force. Sighing, and trying to find something to do, Kaito looked down at his watch yet again; it was almost two in the afternoon. Did the inspector really not understand his heist notice?

_Sure, Hakuba was out of the country at the moment, but still, _Kaito thought, reciting the notice from memory:

_Evening tomorrow_  
_Round seven_  
_Out of the sky_  
_The star will fall_  
_Shooting brightly_  
_And_  
_Kaitou KID_  
_Into the sky will reach_  
_Extinguishing a_  
_Bright light_

_Honestly, it isn't that difficult to figure out,_ Kaito thought to himself. After all, he had **literally** spelled out the location of heist for the inspector!

"Maybe a day's notice was too short?" Kaito mumbled to himself, tapping his chin, "It'd be really troublesome if the inspector didn't show up."

For today's heist, Kaito's target was the _Shooting Star_, a large topaz on display in the building across the street. It was said to be the most expensive topaz in the world, though Kaito wasn't actually interested in the gem itself. _The topaz is a fake, after all_, Kaito thought to himself. No, tonight's heist was merely a setup for his true objective; the real heist would take place tomorrow night. But for tomorrow night's plan to work, he needed the inspector to try and stop him tonight. That's why Kaito had purposely made the heist notice easy to decipher, so that he could guarantee the inspector's attendance. But given the lack of police presence across the street, perhaps the notice was a bit beyond the rowdy inspector. Kaito sighed, looking at his watch again. 1:49PM. _Still no inspector, huh_. His efforts would go to waste if the inspector didn't show! "Maybe I should give him a call and drop him a hint_,"_ Kaito mumbled to himself.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted, however. "Can I help you?" a voice asked from behind, causing Kaito to turn around. It was a nurse.

"Ah, hello," Kaito greeted politely, pulling out his prepared lie, "I'm sorry, I was looking for the psychology wing when I got lost. You see, I received a call earlier to temporarily cover for Dr. Smith. I hear he caught a sudden case of diarrhea." Kaito failed to mention that he was the cause of said diarrhea; maybe he had put just a tad too much laxative in the good doctor's lunch.

"Oh yes! I've been looking for you!" the nurse said abruptly, surprising the teen. "I'm so glad you're here! I was worried because a patient just arrived and Dr. Smith had suddenly gone missing! But I'm sure you can take his appointment for him!" The nurse grabbed onto Kaito's arm and pulled him away from the window where he stood.

"Ah, wait!" Kaito tried to protest, but the nurse's grip was too strong. Kaito cursed himself for not foreseeing this turn of events. Kaito had figured disguising as a doctor would allow him to linger in the hospital without drawing suspicion; he'd never have thought an actual nurse from the psychology wing would find him! And was she really about to let him treat a patient without checking his credentials, or even asking for his name? What kind of hospital was this?! Still, unable to break away without seeming suspicious, Kaito followed the woman along into the psychology office, entering from a door in the back.

"Here's the patient file," the nurse said, handing Kaito a clipboard, "I'll bring the boy to the room first and let him get settled." With that, she was gone. Kaito just sighed again, wondering if things would work out. Well, he had to get this ruse over with first; hopefully it wouldn't be a catastrophe and he won't scar some child for life. Before Kaito got to think about the matter anymore, the nurse returned and pulled him towards one of the rooms in the back, dropping him off in front of the door. Kaito looked back at the nurse skeptically, but she just gave him a nudge and left. Sighing again, Kaito reached for the handle and walked in.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Phil!" Kaito improvised as he walked through the door, using a name he had often heard on TV. "You must be," Kaito started, looking down at the clipboard, "Edogawa Conan?" Kaito paused midway through the name as it caught him by surprise. He quickly looked up at the little boy standing in front of him; a toy plane was in the boy's hand. Kaito resisted the urge to snicker at the sight, but the irony of the situation caused an insuppressible grin to creep onto his face. He wasn't sure why it was funny that Conan was holding a toy plane -first graders often loved toy planes after all. The toy just seemed so out of place in the little detective's hands. Suddenly, a multitude of ideas popped into Kaito's head. _Oh, this is going to be fun!_

* * *

**Sunday, around 3:30PM**

"Alright, doctor," the girl said slowly, "Well, thank you."

"No, no, thank you for coming," Kaito said with a grin, then turned to Conan, "We had fun, right, Conan-kun?"

"Ya!" Conan chirped. Though the little boy was all smiles, Kaito could feel the glares shooting his way, little prickly daggers from the detective's penetrating eyes. Kaito just put on his poker face and smiled kindly back.

"Alright, Conan-kun," the girl said as she took Conan's hand into her own, "shall we go back home?"

"Mhm!" Conan said, nodding. The two of them then walked out of the office.

_Alright_, Kaito thought to himself, _time to see if the inspector's arrived_. Kaito turned over to the nurse, a sudden pained look on his face. "Ah, I don't-" Kaito struggled to say, "I don't feel so well. I think I need to excuse myself for a minute."

"Are you alright, Dr. Phil?" the nurse asked worriedly, but Kaito had rushed out of the office before she had even finished her question.

* * *

**Sunday, around 4:15PM**

Back onto the street and out of the doctor costume, Kaito glanced over at the building that housed his target and grinned. It looked like the inspector had finally solved the heist notice; police officers were swarming about, guarding entrances, alleyways and streets.

_Looks like Nakamori-Keibu pulled through in the end_, Kaito thought happily to himself as he crossed the street. A glance at his watch showed 4:15PM, just a little less than three hours until showtime. For now, he'd just do a final sweep of the building and make sure everything was set for 7PM.

Getting into the building wouldn't be a problem. After all, the police couldn't search every person entering without some probable cause. It was getting out after the gem was stolen that'd be the difficult part. Fortunately, Kaito had a plan. With his eternal smirk over his face, Kaito greeted the police officers and made his way into the building. Looking ahead, Kaito noticed his target, the _Shooting Star_, right in the center of the giant lobby, sitting behind a glass display case.

_It's certainly a good forgery_, Kaito thought to himself. Had he not inspected it earlier, he might have been fooled at first glance as well. _Now, what to do for two hours?_ Kaito wondered as he walked around.

* * *

**Sunday, around 5:30PM**

"Inspector!" an officer called, reporting in, "No sign of KID yet."

"Alright, keep an eye out. If the heist is to take place at 7PM then he's probably already around here somewhere! If anyone looks suspicious, remember to pull on their face!" the inspector ordered. The office gave him a salute and rushed off to carry out the orders. "I'll get you this time, KID!" the inspector yelled, throwing up a fist.

* * *

**Sunday, around 7PM**

Kaito took a glance at his watch, 7PM on the dot. "_Showtime_," he mumbled to himself as he approached the lobby. The police presence must have hinted to the public that a KID heist was about to occur as a crowd of onlookers had managed to squeeze itself into the area surrounding the _Shooting Star_. Kaito positioned himself carefully into the crowd, before dropping several smoke bombs. Instantly, the room was filled with smoke. Kaito took the opportunity to switch out of his street clothes and into the white costume, transforming himself into the M_agician Under the Moonlight_. As the smoke cleared, Kaito was standing in the center of the lobby, a small circle created around him by the onlookers.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Kaito said, taking a small bow.

"It's Kaito KID-sama!" a female voice called.

"He's really here!" another voice said. The crowd began chanting his name but was stopped by a sudden yell.

"KID!" the inspector yelled, shoving his way through the crowd of onlookers.

"Evening inspector," Kaito said calmly, looking at the inspector as he squeezed through the crowd and into the small circle of space, "I've come for the _Shooting Star_, as promised."

"You'll never get it KID!" the inspector yelled, pointing to the glass display case.

"How do you know I don't have it already?" KID said with a smirk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bright yellow gem.

"That's obviously a fake!" the inspector reasoned (correctly so, but there was no way Kaito was going to tell him that), "There's no way you could have gotten the real one. It's still behind the glass case!"

"Oh, but inspector, didn't you know?" Kaito said, his grin widening, "I can move through glass." That sure set the crowd roaring.

"Ridiculous!" the inspector yelled.

"Is it now? How do you explain this gem in my hand then?"

"I told you it's a fake!"

"Are you sure?" Kaito asked slyly, waving the gem in his hand about. Kaito noticing a momentary doubt in the inspector's eyes.

"We will be once we capture you, KID!" the inspector yelled, suddenly fired up again. "After all, look around! All the exits are blocked by police officers. You have nowhere to go!"

Kaito just smiled and walked confidently through the crowd towards the main entrance. All eyes turned to follow his movements; no one moved, all waiting in anticipation of what was to happen next. Even Nakamori hadn't moved, though if he really wanted to catch Kaito, he probably should have acted at that moment. _Perhaps I have piqued the inspector's curiosity as well_, Kaito thought to himself smugly.

As Kaito walked, he noticed that all the doors were indeed blocked by officers, just as the inspector had said. But that wasn't his plan from the start. He had a much flashier exit in mind. Kaito placed his hand on the window beside the main door, running his hand gently over the smooth surface. "You want to see some magic, inspector?"

"What are you planning to do?!" the inspector demanded.

"Like I told you, inspector, I can move through glass," Kaito said. With that, Kaito pushed on the glass slowly and sure enough, his hand began penetrating the glass surface and exiting on the other side. The inspector, and most of the crowd, stood in shock for a moment but then the onlookers started to cheer, a "KID" chant erupting.

"He's moving through the glass!" a man yelled.

"KID-sama is amazing!" a different voice shouted.

It was only when Kaito was almost half outside that the inspector suddenly came to his senses.

"Get him!" he ordered. Officers rushed to converge on Kaito, but Kaito, with one last push, leaped out of the window, and onto the sidewalk outside. The officers running after him tried to do the same, but instead ran smack into the window and fell backwards, confused that the glass was once again solid. Kaito looked at the officers from the other side, a wide smirk across his face. The inspector looked furious.

_That's all for tonight's show_, Kaito said silently, taking a bow for the onlookers. He pulled out a card from his pocket and stuck it to the window, running off before the officers could use the actual exit to catch up.

The notice on the window read:

_Unfortunately inspector, this shooting star was a fake. However, I will be after the real shooting star tomorrow night as it is on display. Please try not to fall for the same trick twice._

_- Kaitou KID._

* * *

**Monday, around 1:30AM**

"Hakase, what do you mean Haibara disappeared?!" Conan demanded.

"She went up the stairs to go to the bathroom but then never came back!" the professor lamented.

"How long has she been missing?" Conan asked.

"About five hours. Do you think the organization got her, Shinichi?" the professor asked.

"No, I don't think so. If the organization came to get her, they wouldn't have left you behind as a witness," Conan reasoned, "More than likely, she decided to..." Conan trailed off. _Damn it! _Conan cursed at his own carelessness. He should have had the professor watch Haibara more closely. After all, he had a suspicion that something like this might happen.

"Decided to what, Shinichi?" the professor asked.

"If it's Haibara, she's probably going to confront the organization by herself. Hakase, did she take the tracking glasses with her?" The professor just shook his head. _Damn it! _Conan cursed again. With a five hour head start, Haibara could be anywhere by now. And given her ability to hide herself, he'd probably not find her in time, at least, not before she found the organization or _They_ found her. Conan groaned. What was he going to do now?

* * *

**Monday, around 1:30AM**

The woman walked along the edge of the shipping yard, the night silent around her. The workers had all gone home, so she was completely alone. It didn't bother her though, she was used to being alone after all. The woman walked towards one of the warehouses, stopping at the front door. She couldn't go any farther though, since a padlock on the door prevented her entry. _Just as well_, the woman thought as she stood in front, contemplating something. She abruptly lifted her hand and ran it over the coarse wood of the door.

"So, this is where you spent your last moments," the woman said, to no one in particular. "A nondescript warehouse. Somehow, it seems quite fitting. An unknown death for an unknown life." The woman took one last glance at the warehouse and then turned away. Looking upwards at the night sky, she said, "We'll be together again soon, Neechan."

* * *

**Monday, around 1:30AM**

"Heiji? Why ya callin' sa late at night?" the girl asked, sounding sleepy still.

"I'mma go ta Tokyo tanight, sa don't freak out if ya don't see me in class tamorrow, Kazuha," Heiji said into the phone.

"Wat?!" Kazuha exclaimed, suddenly fully awake. "Whaddya mean ya goin' to Tokyo? What's with the sudden decision?"

"I just have somethin' ta do there," Heiji replied.

"Wat 'bout school, Heiji?"

"It'll only be a couple a days," Heiji replied.

"Then I'm coming with ya," Kazuha declared abruptly.

"Ahou! I'm already at the train station. Plus, Neechan isn't even there, she's in New York remember?"

"Wat's that have ta do with anythin'? I still want ta come," Kazuha insisted.

"It's dangerous there!" Heiji said abruptly, but regretted his statement instantly.

"Wat, why?"

"Ah, er, there's a virus goin' around, ya see, and I don't want ya ta catch it," Heiji lied.

"I'll be fine," Kazuha replied, persistent.

"Just stay in Osaka, Ahou!" Heiji yelled into the phone.

* * *

**Monday, around 1:30AM**

Hakuba laid awake in bed, thinking about the call he got from Nakamori earlier right as he landed in Japan. "KID walked through glass, huh," Hakuba muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. It was obviously a trick, though he hadn't quite figured it out yet. And then there was KID's new notice for tomorrow night. A shooting star. "Is there a wish you want to make, Kuroba-kun?" Hakuba mused.

* * *

**Monday, around 8AM**

"Are you sure you still want to go through with the plan, Shinichi?" the professor asked, as the two of them sat in the car, waiting for the train from Osaka to arrive.

"If Haibara is really off to confront the organization by herself, then it's all the more reason to carry through with the plan. After all, that's where _They_ will be," Conan replied, staring at the tracks.

"I guess you're right," the professor admitted. The two of them fell back into silence.

They were waiting in the parking lot of the train station for two reasons. The first was to pick up Heiji when he arrived. The second was to see if anyone would be tailing them. So far, Conan didn't detect any stalkers.

Conan just sighed, thinking, _Why haven't you realized yet that the organization is our problem, not your own?_

* * *

**Monday, around 8AM**

He opened the newspaper and quickly flipped through the pages, looking at the headlines. There was an article about KID's amazing walk through glass as well as speculation as to the next target, some news about a man being found dead in Tokyo, discussion on the downturn of the Japanese economy, and an advertisement for the rare minerals exhibition happening at the Beika Museum.

He paused for a moment to take a sip of his coffee, but suddenly stopped when an advertisement caught his eye. Well, it wasn't really an advertisement, more a poem. At the bottom was signed, "Akemi Miyano". _Now why does that name sound familiar?_

* * *

**Monday, around 9AM**

"Ya, Kudo," the Osakan greeted as he opened the door to the backseat, dropping his overnight bag next to him.

"D'you sleep on the train?" Conan asked, looking back from the front seat.

"A little," Heiji replied, though both of them knew that neither had slept much at all. "Ready ta fill me in on ya plan, Kudo?" Heiji asked, closing the car door.

"Let's head back to Hakase's first," Conan suggested. With that, the beetle pulled out of the train station.

* * *

**Monday, around noon**

"Can I have a number six please?" the woman said, pointing to a hamburger.

"Alright," the cashier said, putting in the order. The food was ready quickly, after all, it was fast food.

_What a last meal_, the woman thought cynically, as she sat down near a window. She bit into the burger, looking out at the busy streets of Beika. Everyone was rushing off to someplace or another and here she was, just waiting for the time to pass. _Kudo-kun's probably freaking out by now, _the woman thought, taking another bite out of her burger.

* * *

**Monday, 1PM**

_Why does time have to pass so slowly?_ _Maybe I should have just skipped school today, _Kaito thought, looking out the window and bored out of his mind. The teacher was repeating the power rule, again. _But then, that might have been suspicious_. Kaito glanced over at the detective sitting two seats away; said detective was busy writing down something, but Kaito doubted it was the lesson material. _Why'd he come back from England anyways?_ Things were going so smoothly, what with the Brit gone. _But then, I guess the challenge is also fun in its own way_.

Kaito looked at the clock on the wall again and groaned. There were still two hours left of school.

* * *

**Monday, 2PM**

"I want you to be there."

"Me? I thought Otouto has things under control."

"Not for that. I want you there to run some interference."

"Ah, you mean you want me to throw him off our scent."

"Something like that. It's too soon for our plan to come to light."

"And how do you know he'll even be there?"

"Call it a gut feeling."

"As you wish, Otosan."

* * *

**Monday, 5:30PM**

_Finally, time for the show to begin!_ Kaito thought, packing his tools away as he headed off to the museum.

* * *

**Monday, 6:00PM**

"Looks like it's about time," Hakuba said, putting down the notes he was working on. He grabbed his coat and headed towards the door. "Baaya, I'm heading out for a bit," Hakuba called as he left.

* * *

**Monday, 6:00PM**

"Got it, Hattori?" Conan asked, as they headed off to the museum, once again in Hakase's car.

"Ya sure this'll work?" Heiji asked, skeptically.

"If all happens according to plan, we should have two cats in the bag by the end of the night," Conan said, a confident look on his face, "It's time to finally end this."

* * *

**Monday, 6:15PM**

The woman looked up, the words "Beika Museum" lit by a back light. _This is it_, she thought silently as she tilted her head even farther, eyeing the roof of the five story building. "It's time to finally end this," she mumbled to herself as she entered the museum and began making her way to the roof.

* * *

**Monday, 6:30PM**

"Korn," Gin said into the radio, running off the list of operatives.

"In position," Korn said.

"Chianti."

"In position."

"Vodka."

"In position, Aniki."

"Good. I'll run point from here. Wait for my signal," Gin said, looking across the street at the backside of the museum.

* * *

**Monday, 6:30PM**

"Any sign of KID yet?" Nakamori asked into the radio, a little on edge.

"Negative, Keibu," an officer replied back.

"Okay, keep an eye out. Stay sharp, men," Nakamori ordered as he put down the radio. The inspector turned around and glanced at the display case, housing what was presumed to be KID's next target. The gem was not only inside its normal glass display case, but a secondary heavy-duty, five-inch-thick glass enclosure also surrounded the display: gem, pedestal, all of it. Essentially, there were two glass cases around the gem. Nakamori had even had both glass cases double checked beforehand, just to make sure there weren't any cracks in them. All the onlookers had been forced outside the exhibit as well, to prevent KID from hiding amongst a crowd.

"Walking through glass or not, you're not getting this gem today, KID," Nakamori muttered.

* * *

**Monday, 7:00PM**

Kaito looked down at the double glass display from his position in the vents. The inspector was standing nearby, barking orders into his radio.

_Looks like they took the bait after all. Well, let the show begin!_ Kaito thought smirking, as he lowered the drill silently through the slot in the vent, latching it onto the top of the glass display.

* * *

**Monday, 7:15PM**

"Hattori, you in position?" Conan asked into the earpiece Hakase had designed for them.

"Ya, you?" Heiji asked back.

"I'm ready at this end as well," Conan replied, "Just remember, the device is pressure sensitive, but there is also a manual kill switch in case of emergencies."

"Gotcha, Kudo," Heiji said, but then paused. "Na, Kudo, is dis funky invention of da prafessor's really gonna work?"

"If all goes according to plan, then yes," Conan replied conditionally, looking about for any signs of movement.

"And which plan would that be?" a voice suddenly said from behind, causing Conan to spin around.

"You! What are you doing here?" Conan demanded of the figure, but his question was suddenly interrupted by a yell from his earpiece. It was Heiji.

"Hattori? Hattori!" Conan shouted into earpiece, his attention distracted away from the intruder.

* * *

**Monday, 7:15PM**

"Bingo!" Kaito said silently as the drill broke through the second glass case. "Now, slowly pull the gem up." Kaito began reeling in the line, the gem attached at the end by a suction cup like device.

"Ah! The gem!" an officer suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the now floating gem. The shout pulled the attention of all the officers, and obviously that of Nakamori.

"It's KID!" the inspector shouted, pointing towards the vents where Kaito was hiding.

_Crap!_ Kaito thought, furiously reeling in the string. As soon as the gem was in hand, Kaito began crawling his way towards his pre-planned escape route. Under him, Kaito could hear the inspector yelling out orders.

"He's in the vent! Follow him!" the inspector barked. A shuffling of feet below signaled to Kaito that the police were on the move. He'd have to make his escape quick.

* * *

**Monday, 7:16PM**

"Now, Vodka," Gin commanded into the radio.

"Roger, Aniki!" Vodka replied.

* * *

**Monday, 7:20PM**

With enough twists and turns in the vent, he had managed to lose them somehow. _Guess without Hakuba or Tantei-kun the police just aren't quite able to keep up, _Kaito thought to himself, a grin across his face. It was weird though. He was sure by the way Hakuba was furiously writing in class that he'd be at the heist. "Well, whatever," Kaito said with a shrug as he continued to crawl through the ventilation system. He had the gem he came for; time to make for the emergency exit.

* * *

**Monday, 7:20PM**

She looked out into the city, the high vantage point giving her an excellent view. She wondered what people were doing at that moment. At home eating dinner? Just getting off from work? A cool breeze suddenly passed by, making the woman shiver slightly. But was it the breeze? or the sound of the door opening behind her, signalling that someone had joined her on the rooftop.

"I was wondering when you would show up," the woman said, still not turning around, though she was no longer seeing the city laid out in front of her, "I take it you got my message then? No more games. Shall we end this tonight?" The woman paused briefly as she heard the approaching footsteps. "I think I've finally figured out why you've always hated me," the woman continued when the footsteps stopped, "You hated me for what I took from you, right? What I took from them?" The woman sighed, a distant look glossing over her eyes. Her hand reached into her pocket, brushing over the gun that rested inside. "I want a deal. My life in exchange for his. Will you agree to this-" the woman paused, trying to muster up courage to say the name. Finally, she managed, "-Gin?" She stood leaning over the edge of the roof, waiting for an answer. _Will he agree_? Not likely. She was probably just being naive. But there was also the gun. "Why won't you say anything?" the woman finally demanded as the silence became unbearable.

"I'm sorry, miss," an unknown voice said, surprising the woman, "I don't know who this Gin is but I guess it's safe to assume you were waiting for someone else. Still, do continue. You seem to be in some sort of trouble and I just happen to be of the disposition to help."

The woman suddenly spun around, the gun whipping out of her pocket. "Who are you?!" the woman demanded, gun aimed at the head in front of her.

* * *

**Monday, 7:20PM**

"Hattori! Hattori!" Conan kept calling into the earpiece, but there was only static from the other side.

"Looks like something happened to your friend," the voice said, stepping closer to the boy.

"What did you do to him-" Conan demanded, looking at the approaching figure, "-Vermouth?!"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Holy Moly, I didn't expect the chapter to be so long. Guess I got a little carried away. It probably should have been two chapters, but meh, I guess this'll make up for the short chapter last time =P Also, this chapter was mainly **_descriptive_**, ie. I just told you **_what _**happened, but I didn't explain much of **_why _**anything happened. That's to come up in a future chapter =P

For those of you who haven't figured out yet, the woman on the rooftop is Shiho Miyano, aka Haibara in her adult form. She took the antidote (the metallic case mentioned last chapter or two chapters ago? I can't remember).

And wow, I just realized we're on chapter 15 already and 30K+ words into the story!

See you guys in the next chapter!

**Kaito KID's Heist Notice**

Evening tomorrow  
Round seven  
Out of the sky  
The star will fall  
Shooting brightly  
And  
Kaitou KID  
Into the sky will reach  
Extinguishing a  
Bright light

Can you figure out the location? Hint: It's literally spelled out the in the heist notice.


	16. Arc Two: Breadcrumbs

Holding off on the answer to KID's heist notice from the previous chapter. If you haven't posted your guess yet, there's still time!  
Moving right along with the story.  
Disclaimer: I don't own DC.

* * *

**Beika Museum, 2nd Floor**

"What did you do to him-" Conan demanded, looking at the approaching figure, "-Vermouth?!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Vermouth asked innocently, shrugging her shoulders as she came to stop in front of the little detective, "How can I do anything to your friend when I'm standing right here?"

Conan frowned at Vermouth's attempt at humor, his mind racing to decide what to do next. _Hattori or Vermouth? _the boy weighed silently. Should he continue with the woman, keep her talking in hopes that something might slip? Even if Vermouth didn't reveal much, there was the off chance that she'd unknowingly give him a hint, a hint that might be crucial to cracking the mystery of the Black Organization's intentions. _But if Hattori really is in trouble…_Conan thought, recalling the yell on his earpiece.

_I can't risk it,_ Conan suddenly decided, snapping out of his thoughts and turning tail, about to run off towards the other side of the museum. Conan didn't get far though before a voice suddenly spoke into his earpiece, almost causing the boy to trip in surprise.

"Ah, Kudo, ya still there?" Heiji said, sounding perfectly fine.

"Hattori!" Conan said into the earpiece, "What happened? I heard you yell-"

"Ah, my bad, Kudo. I was just surprised by dat officer friend of yours," Heiji replied apologetically.

"Officer friend?"

"Ya, Takoyagi-"

"Takagi?"

"Ya, dat's what it was. He snuck up on me and surprised me, wondrin' why I was lurkin' 'bout the stairwell. Had ta make up some excuse," Heiji explained. Conan let out a sigh of relief. _As long as the Black Organization didn't get him_…

"How are things on your end?" Conan asked.

"Well, I had ta disable da device, since Takoyagi says he wants ta search da emergency exit fa KID and whatnot. I figured dat with him there though, da Black Organization can't use dat escape anyways, which means-"

"They'll be heading my way. Got it, Hattori. Thanks for the heads up," Conan said into the earpiece.

"An how are things ova there?" Heiji asked.

"Something rather unexpected happened. I'll have to talk to you later, Hattori," Conan said abruptly, Heiji's words reminding him that Vermouth was still there, watching him.

"Wait, Kudo-" Heiji started to say but Conan cut the line, pulling the earpiece out.

"Sounds like your friend's alright now," Vermouth said when Conan turned around to face her again.

"Yeah," Conan replied curtly, scanning the woman from head to toe for anything dangerous.

"I told you I had nothing to do with it," Vermouth repeated, shrugging her shoulders again. The woman appeared to have a small pistol stashed near her ankle, but was otherwise unarmed.

"No, but that doesn't mean your associates didn't do anything. _They_'re here, aren't _They_, the members of the Black Organization," Conan more stated than asked.

"Oh? And how would you know something like that?" Vermouth asked, pulling out a cigarette. She lit the cigarette with her lighter and let out a small puff of smoke.

"What's that line you love so much?" Conan asked, with a smirk, "A secret makes a woman woman? Does it work when someone else has the secret?"

The woman let out her own smirk. "It's a secret," she replied, the cigarette in her hand letting out a small trail of smoke that drifted towards the ceiling. Both were quiet after that, each staring the other down (well, Conan stared up…but you get my point).

Suddenly, Conan's face became serious. "What's the organization trying to do?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Now that's certainly direct of you," Vermouth said with a smile, pausing to take another smoke before continuing, "Well, this is a museum. What do you think it is we're trying to do?"

"Hmph, you know I wasn't asking about tonight," Conan retorted, his hands resting in his pockets as he stared unwaveringly back at the woman, "Why did the Black Organization kidnap me, Vermouth?"

Vermouth just smiled.

* * *

**Beika Museum, Rooftop**

The woman suddenly spun around, the gun whipping out of her pocket. "Who are you?!" she demanded, gun aimed at the head in front of her. Her finger rested lightly on the trigger, ready to shoot if the man made any sudden movements.

"You're not Akemi Miyano, are you?" the young man asked, ignoring the woman's question. The name took the woman by surprise, causing her to loosen the gun ever so slightly. Noticing this, the young man stepped forward, raising his hands to gesture that he meant no harm. "No, you look similar, but not quite the same," he continued, taking another step.

"Don't come any closer!" the woman yelled, her gun arm stiffening again to back her threat.

"Alright, alright. I'll stay right here. You can put the gun down. I'm not going to hurt you," the young man said slowly, his hands still raised. "Ah, that's right. I still have yet to introduce myself. Sorry, I got a bit carried away there. My name is Saguru Hakuba, a detective."

* * *

**Beika Museum, 2nd Floor **

She'd never just tell him what he wanted to know. No, Vermouth enjoyed the game too much. He'd have to lead her with a couple of breadcrumbs, give her a couple of deductions he knew were right and then have her unwittingly confirm the rest. If Conan could convince Vermouth that he knew exactly what was going on, she might unconsciously say something that he didn't actually know. It was probably the approach with the greatest chance of success. _Alright, here we go_.

"You lied to your hired grunt, didn't you?" Conan started, "The kidnapping wasn't for ransom money. Occhan never got a ransom call from the kidnapper. Plus, the Black Organization would have researched beforehand and known that Occhan had no money. So, it wasn't your garden variety kidnapping; there was a specific purpose." The first breadcrumb, something Conan knew to be true. A look at Vermouth showed no reaction, no confirmation of his conclusion, her eyes only telling Conan to continue. That was fine though; he just needed a few more breadcrumbs to lead her with.

"The sniper round that killed Brandy was from a gun commonly used by the FBI, leading one to assume that the kidnapping was somehow used to lure out the FBI. But that's not the case either, is it, Vermouth?" Conan said, thinking back to his talk with Jodie-sensei earlier yesterday. The second breadcrumb, though still no reaction from Vermouth. Conan continued.

"And if the sniper wasn't an FBI agent, then that would mean the sniper was actually an organization member. After all, who else would know there was anyone at the factory?" _Three breadcrumbs._

"Then there's the fact that you allowed me to escape, which indicates that the goal was never strictly kidnapping. While you may have turned a blind eye to Haibara, you'd never _actively_ oppose the organization's plans. So the very fact that you let me escape means the organization's true motive wasn't kidnapping. The haiku and vault combination, that was your doing after all," Conan pointed out. _Four breadcrumbs._

"You caught me," Vermouth finally said, putting her hands up. Conan hid his smile; his plan was starting to work. Vermouth was beginning to confirm things that he already knew to be true. Now he just needed her to confirm what he didn't know.

"And if the goal wasn't kidnapping," Conan started, beginning his fishing by throwing out a plausible conclusion, "yet one of your members were killed, then the only logical explanation was that the kidnapping was a field test of some sort, to test the competency of your member, namely, Brandy." It was a shot in the dark of course. Conan had no proof of any such competency test. But hopefully, Vermouth would validate his speculation for him.

Vermouth eyed the detective briefly, taking another smoke from her cigarette, which was almost done at this point. "And is that so strange? For an organization to test its members?" Vermouth finally said, to the effect of confirming Conan's suspicions.

Conan thought about the response for a moment. Had Vermouth really just validated his first guess? The conclusion, that the kidnapping was a field test of sorts, was a plausible one, but…it was certainly not the _only_ explanation. Sure, he may have said that to Vermouth, but he knew, and surely Vermouth knew, that there were other possible explanations. Vermouth's assent had been too quick, too easy. Was she trying to play him at his own game? Lead _him_ with the breadcrumbs? _Maybe I'm just overthinking this_. Conan eyed the woman suspiciously, before slowly replying, "The latter no, the former yes. After all, the kidnapping was a rather pointless, and risky, method, quite uncharacteristic of the Black Organization. And while the goal wasn't kidnapping, won't the organization be worried that I escaped? They can't be happy about the loose end." Conan hoped that if he prodded the story enough, asked about enough details, he'd be able to figure out if Vermouth was telling the truth about the Black Organization's intentions. After all, a lie is bound to have inconsistencies, resulting from the limitations of the liar's imagination.

"Who's to say I didn't place a child's corpse at the scene to make them think you were killed by a stray bullet?" Vermouth replied, a devious smile on her face.

"That's awfully nice of you," Conan replied. So far, Vermouth's story, that the kidnapping was a field test for Brandy, did seem to hold. Was he really just overthinking things?

"What can I say? You've managed to find a place in my wicked heart," Vermouth said with a shrug, suddenly in a quite talkative mood.

"And I was just a target of opportunity?" Conan asked directly, no longer relying on his plan to trick the woman.

"If this is your way of asking whether the organization knows of your identity, the answer is no," Vermouth said. _Now that was a curious reply_, Conan thought, looking at Vermouth, _A chink in the story perhaps?_ Vermouth must have seen his look, as she added, "Stranger coincidences have happened. For example, Sherry being on the roof of this building as we speak."

"Haibara?" Conan asked, only half-surprised. Somehow, he suspected the girl would at the museum.

"If I were you, I'd find her quickly, before the organization does," Vermouth said slyly, "After all, I promised _I_ wouldn't hunt her, but I can't speak for my associates."

"You-!" Conan began to say before a beeping emanated from his pocket. Conan reached down and pulled out a small remote; the red light on the remote was flashing.

"Somewhere you need to be?" Vermouth asked, looking at the device in Conan's hand.

Conan looked from the remote to Vermouth, deciding what to do. "Damn it," the boy cursed before running off, leaving the woman behind.

"Good luck," Vermouth said once the boy was out of earshot, "Silver Bullet-kun."

* * *

**Beika Museum, Rooftop**

"A detective?" the woman asked, gun still raised.

"Yes, a high school detective. Perhaps you have heard of me? No? No matter. I saw your ad in the newspaper," Hakuba explained.

"My ad?"

"Yes, the one posted in the Beika Times," Hakuba said, reciting the poem,

_Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,  
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before,  
Nor shall dream again, for at the skyline of the blackest gems,  
On morrow's eve I shall dream, I shall dream, then dream I shall, nevermore_

The first two lines, from Edgar Allen Poe's _The Raven_, refer to a giving up of the past, forgetting the pains and sorrows, correct? _Skyline_ refers to the rooftop of a building, while _gems_ hints that the building is none other than the Beika Museum, where a rare minerals exhibit is taking place. _Morrow's eve_ refers to tonight and _nevermore_ indicates that this is a final act of sorts. Taken together, the writer of the advertisement clearly has in mind to do something drastic tonight, right here. Hence the reason I decided to investigate. At first, I thought it might have been a suicide note of sorts, but it looks like it's more complicated than that. Ah, do you mind putting the gun down?" Hakuba finished, still eyeing the gun in the woman's hand.

"What," the woman started slowly, "What do you know about Akemi Miyano?"

"Ah, that was the other curious point that drew me to this rooftop. As I recall, she was found dead in the shipyard district shortly after a nearby bank was robbed of a billion yen. Police ruled the death as suicide, since the gun that killed her only had her fingerprints on it. Also, since no money was found, and there wasn't any clear evidence linking her to the heist, she was cleared as a suspect. What's more curious to me, however, is why you would use her name in your advertisement. Was it a bait to draw in this _Gin_ you were supposed to meet?" Hakuba asked.

"It doesn't concern you," the woman snapped, "In fact, it's best if you just leave and forget everything you've heard and seen."

"Ah, I can't do that," Hakuba said, "As a detective, it's my duty to solve cases when they arise. You see, I am of the belief that there isn't a single mystery in the world that can't be solved."

"Kudo-kun," the woman mumbled, Hakuba's words suddenly reminding her of something. She gun lowering slightly.

"Kudo? Ah, are you referring to that high school detective, Kudo Shinichi? Do you know him? I heard he's suddenly disappeared," Hakuba said, trying to get the woman talking.

"That-" the woman began but suddenly gripped her chest, as if in pain. The gun dropped from her hand and clattered onto the roof.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Hakuba said, running towards the woman as she collapsed onto the ground. He could hear her suddenly panting for breath. "Oi!" Hakuba said, taking her into his arms. The woman looked awful. She was sweating and shaking at the same time; Hakuba took his jacket off and wrapped it around the woman, unsure if he was helping or making things worse. "Are you alright?" Hakuba asked again, worried.

"Argh!" the woman yelled, hand still gripping her chest. Her eyes suddenly snapped wide open, but Hakuba could tell they weren't seeing anything. The woman was writhing in pain from some unknown cause and even with his medical training, Hakuba couldn't see anything wrong with her. _A heart attack? Stroke? Epilepsy?_ Hakuba ran through a list of possible causes, but nothing quite fit the symptoms the woman was displaying.

"Run away," the woman managed through gritted teeth before letting out another cry of pain.

And that's when it started. Suddenly, right before Hakuba's eyes, the woman began disappearing. _Wait, not disappearing, shrinking! _Time began to move in slow motion as the woman shrunk. Smaller. Smaller. Smaller until she was hidden by her now oversized clothes. When the shrinking finally stopped, Hakuba looked down at his arms. What used to be a fully grown woman was now replaced by what appeared to be a six or seven year old child. Hakuba shook the child gently, but she appeared to be unconscious. The pained look on the girl's face was replaced with an oblivious slumber.

"What," Hakuba said, slightly speechless, "was that?"

* * *

**Beika Museum, Back Entrance**

Gin watched as Vodka made his way to the Porsche, a briefcase in hand. Upon opening the door, Gin asked, "Is that it?" referring to the contents of the case. Vodka nodded, handing over the case and shutting the door as he sat down in the passenger seat. Gin flipped open the locks and lifted the top, revealing the contents inside. The majority of the container was padded with foam, save one small space in the center, where a dull looking gem rested.

"Aniki," Vodka started, looking at the gem.

"What is it, Vodka?"

"That gem, why is it so important? It looks pretty hideous to me. I'm not sure how much we could sell it for."

Gin laughed at that, finding humor in the man's ignorance. He gently took the gem out of the briefcase, holding it up to the moonlight. The gem became almost translucent. "This, Vodka, is Pandora's Box."

* * *

**Beika Museum, 2nd Floor **

As Conan sprinted towards the emergency exit of the museum, he glanced down at the remote in his hands. The flashing red light indicated that someone had tripped the device. And though Vermouth's words still nagged at him, he'd have to set them aside temporarily. Right now, it was more important to see who had sprung the trap, and hopefully, gotten caught.

Upon arriving at the exit, Conan flipped open the door and leaped down the stairs, running to where the trap had been set. If the professor's device had worked properly, then activating the pressure sensor should have stuck any passerby's to the ceiling with a generous slather of green goo. And looking up, Conan did indeed see a figure trapped.

The figure appeared to notice Conan as well, as it suddenly stirred, struggling a little before saying, "Ah, Tantei-kun! Fancy meeting you here! As you can, I appear to be in a rather sticky situation."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Before anyone asks, NO, GIN DOES NOT HAVE PANDORA (THAT GEM THAT KID IS LOOKING FOR)! although i may have purposely used such words to mislead you into thinking i was going to do that...anyways...

Vermouth's first major appearance! A battle of wits between the sneaky woman and the little detective!  
Hakuba has seen Shiho to Haibara! What will become of this?  
KID gets caught! Can he escape? Or will he suffer a beating with a wet noodle by Conan?

Post your speculations! Review! Follow! Let me know what you thought!

Next chapter, we wrap up this arc and explain what the heck has been happening. Explanation of KID's heists, BO's intentions, Haibara's fate with Hakuba! Stay tuned!


	17. Arc Two: Postlude

**A/N:** So, some of you guys have been wondering how long I plan to have this story go on for, ie. chapters, words, etc. Well, the answer is, I plan to milk this story for all its worth, mwhahaha =P But seriously, I originally intended this story to be around 100 chapters or somewhere in the ballpark of 200k words. So…we're like a fifth of the way there? It kind of depends on how the story shapes out; as I mentioned, this story isn't pre-written so I'm going by ear for now. And considering that the BO's intentions have still yet to be explained, you can be sure there's plenty more to come. Hopefully I won't bore you with such a long story xP Maybe I'll add in another Hakase quiz or something. Or maybe I won't, and the story can just drag on and on like the manga! =D Anyways, now I'm just rambling, so let's move on.

**Very brief summary of the arc so far (skip if you want):** Conan escapes from the vault and is discovered by Brandy. Brandy gets sniped. Conan escapes, only to find he was still in Beika. Conan goes to Hakase's, warns Haibara, returns to detective agency. Ran brings Conan to the hospital. Conan almost kisses Ran, then almost kisses KID, who's pretending to be a child psychologist. KID conducts a heist across the street from the hospital. Conan finds out from Rena that BO is going to be at Beika Museum. Conan informs Heiji of kidnapping. Conan returns to Agasa's to find Haibara gone. Conan, Heiji, Hakuba, and KID all head to Beika Museum. Conan encounters Vermouth. Hakuba finds an adult Haibara on the roof. KID gets captured by Conan. Hakuba sees Haibara shrink back to a child.

**Shout-out to everyone who left a review so far! You guys are awesome! Keep writing me comments and questions! I'll probably do another Deduction Show chapter sometime in the future; have your questions answered by Conan and cast. =]**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own DC.

**Warning: Epically long chapter incoming.**

And without further ado, let's get to the story!

* * *

**Beika Museum, Emergency Exit Stairs**

Conan knew he should be happy. After all, the professor's weird invention had worked (for once); he had caught the elusive thief as according to plan. But, somehow he wasn't, happy that is. Maybe it was the conversation with Vermouth, maybe it was the fact that he felt no closer to truth behind the Black Organization's intentions. Was the kidnapping really some fluke? Had he really been the target of opportunity? Conan tried to think back two days, but the kidnapping seemed like an eternity (and 40k+ words) ago. "A field test," Conan said to himself, the words playing around in his mouth. The three words felt icky, illogical to his very logical mind. "A field test," he repeated, thinking of the implications such an explanation would bring. But Conan was abruptly snapped out his thoughts by a very persistent thief.

"Oi! Tantei-kun! Oi! Are you listening to me?" the thief called from the ceiling.

"What, KID?" Conan finally said, annoyed that his thoughts were interrupted.

"When you warned me to be careful, this isn't what I thought you meant," KID said, disgruntled.

Conan just shrugged, "It's your own fault for being careless."

"C-careless? I wasn't being careless! I was just…momentarily distracted," KID protested.

"Isn't that the very definition of being careless?" Conan quipped.

"Noooo," KID said, but failed to elaborate. Conan stared for a moment, waiting for the thief to say more. But when the thief held his silence, Conan just sighed, face palming. Why did the thief always stretch his patience so thin?

_Ah, speaking of_, Conan suddenly thought, reaching into his pocket for the earpiece and placing it back in his ear. "Ne, Hattori, you there?" Conan asked.

"KUDO! WHY DA HECK YA HANG UP ON ME, BOGE?!" Heiji yelled almost immediately.

"Ah, sorry, Hattori," Conan said apologetically, "Something came up."

"Something?" Heiji asked, calming down.

"Yeah," Conan said, trying to ignore KID's incessant _Who're you talking to, Tantei-kun?_, "Well, someone. Vermouth."

"Vermouth? Sa _They_ were here?" Heiji asked.

"Looks like it," Conan said, with KID still in the background going _Oi! Tantei-kun! Oi!_. Conan turned his attention to the thief, noticeably annoyed. "Pipe down, KID!" Conan yelled, shutting the thief up.

"KID's there with ya, Kudo? D'he fall in da trap?" Heiji asked.

"Yeah, but aside from Vermouth, there still no sign of _Them_," Conan replied.

"Dat _is_ odd. Ya think _They_ found another exit outta da museum?"

"Well, we have both emergency exits covered. The only other possibility is-" Conan started, but paused as he suddenly remembered something. "Ne, Hattori," Conan asked into the earpiece.

"Ya, Kudo?"

"I need you to find Nakamori-keibu and tell him that KID's been captured," Conan instructed.

"What 'bout ya?"

"There's something I need to take care of," Conan said. If Vermouth was telling the truth, about Haibara being on the roof, and if the roof was the only exit left open to the Black Organization…well, Conan just hoped it wasn't.

"Matte, Tantei-kun!" KID suddenly protested, "You can't hand me over to the police!"

"And why's that, KID?" Conan asked, turning his attention upwards to the thief.

"Because then you'll never find out what I know about those men in black," KID said slyly. Conan's eyes instantly narrowed as he glared at the thief. Could KID really know something about the Black Organization? How would the thief know anything? Wait, did it matter, as long he knew? And did the thief know about him, about Kudo Shinichi? If there was a shred of truth in the thief's words…Conan couldn't let the police arrest KID yet. Though he was probably playing right into the thief's hand, Conan had to keep the thief around for a bit longer.

"Change of plans, Hattori," Conan said into the earpiece, "I need you to come to this emergency exit as fast as you can. Bring the solvent to dissolve the goo with you."

* * *

**Beika Museum, Rooftop**

Could something like this even happen? This wasn't a science fiction novel. This was reality. And in reality, people didn't just shrink. Sure, there were diseases, like dwarfism, where people were just short. But shrinking so quickly? It was unheard of. Which then begs the question: what the heck was going on?

Hakuba glanced down at the little girl again, still sleeping peacefully in his arms. _Well, regardless of the mechanism, could the shrinking be the reason "Gin" is after her?_ And what kind of name was Gin anyways? A type of alcohol? Was it a codename of sorts? Hakuba stared out past the roof for a moment, suddenly feeling the weight of the mystery in his lap, literally. Was should be his next move?

A glance down at the girl showed that she was in no condition to defend herself in the case that "Gin" came after her. And given the girl's description of "Gin", and the gun in her possession, Hakuba felt sure that "Gin" would come after the girl sooner or later. "I'll have to get her somewhere safe first," Hakuba mumbled to himself. After that, he could then try to figure out who she was.

* * *

**Beika Museum, Front Entrance**

A yellow beetle pulled up on the curb in front of the museum, a burly professor sitting behind the steering wheel. He glanced around nervously, looking for his passengers, before finally spotting two figures approaching his car. Agasa quickly unlocked the doors, just as the Osakan detective reached for the handle, opening the door to the back seats.

"Agasa-hakase!" Heiji greeted, peering into the car.

"Hattori-kun," the professor greeted back, "the device worked properly, I assume?"

"Like a charm," Heiji replied, giving the professor a thumbs up.

"Ah," the professor began, looking around, "where's Sh-er-Conan-kun?" The professor quickly corrected himself after noticing the visitor standing behind Heiji.

"Long story, but Ku-ah-Conan said he had some personal things ta take care of first. We should probably head back ta ya place fa da time being," Heiji explained, as he shoved someone into the backseat of the car before getting in himself. The guest looked a bit panicked and was busy complaining the entire time, saying something about the car being too small and smelling weird and being claustrophobic.

"Is that-" the professor asked, leaning back to take a closer look, "-Kaitou KID?"

"Like I said, long story," Heiji replied, throwing an annoyed look at KID who was sitting next to him. "Just shaddap will ya? Dat act is gettin' old," Heiji said as KID was still busy mumbling protests, "No one's fallin' fa ya, 'Oh, I'm super nervous and need ta keep talkin' cuz I feel sa helpless' act."

"Man, you detectives sure are cold hearted people," KID said, adjusting himself so that he was sitting upright in the seat; the task was more difficult than the thief let on, given that his hands were handcuffed behind his back. The panicked look on the thief's face had been replaced by one of calm confidence.

"Wat's dat?" Heiji asked, more annoyed than before.

"I mean, here I am, looking terrified after being captured and what do you say to me?" KID continued, ignoring the detective. "Shaddap!" KID said, mimicking Heiji's voice perfectly, which only seemed to tick the Osakan off more. "How apathetic can you be?"

"I'll show ya pathetic!" Heiji shouted, Brooklyn Rage causing him to mishear KID. Heiji reached a hand to KID's face and tugged, ripping off the disguise, "Let's see who ya really is!"

With the disguise gone, Heiji was confronted with the mirror image of his own face, a face that smiled smugly back at him. "Ah, Hattori Heiji, the great Phantom Thief," KID said, again using Heiji's voice.

Heiji lost it at that point, ripping off the disguise with gusto. But his face was only to be replaced by that of Conan's. "There's only one truth!" KID said, this time with Conan's voice, clearly having fun. Heiji, on the other hand, was not. One disguise after another was removed but there always seemed to be another underneath.

"Ah, Hattori-kun," the professor said, interrupting, "shouldn't we be heading out?"

Heiji, panting from the exertion, gave KID one last glare. KID's face at the moment was that of a clown. "Right. We'll finish dis later, KID," Heiji replied, temporarily conceding. The thief just let out an amused smirk.

* * *

**Beika Museum, Rooftop**

Conan cracked open the door ever so slightly, peering out onto the roof. From what he could see, it appeared deserted and eerily quiet. No helicopters about, which meant the Black Organization either left already or didn't use the roof as an exit. There was no Haibara either. Conan pushed open the door and stepped out into the open night for a better look.

Indeed, the rooftop was empty. Had Vermouth lied about Haibara? Truths and lies were beginning to be muddled together. Conan walked around the rooftop, inspecting the vents, the water tank, the tiles. Nothing seemed out of place. That is, until something black caught his eye. He had missed it in his first sweep because of its dark color, but upon picking it up, Conan recognized it as a sock, size seven women if he had to guess. Which meant...

"Haibara," Conan mumbled, looking at the sock. If it was Haibara's, and it may very well be, that meant she was not only here, but had taken the antidote. But then, where was she now? Had the Black Organization got to her after all? No, there weren't any signs of a struggle. No blood either. _Where did you go, Haibara?_ Conan wondered, looking out into the streets of Tokyo.

* * *

**In a car heading towards Ekoda**

Hakuba's gaze alternated between the child sleeping in the backseat to the scenery rolling by outside the side window. _Is it too dangerous?_ Hakuba thought, glancing back at the girl again. Whoever was after her might find him, and given her readiness to use a gun, Hakuba had no doubt her pursuers were of the shoot first, ask questions later type. But it wasn't like he could just leave her there, on that rooftop. Hakuba just sighed. "Is Father home?" Hakuba asked, turning to the driver's seat.

"No. Master called earlier, saying he had a particularly difficult case at work. He probably won't be returning home tonight," the old woman replied.

"I see," Hakuba said, looking out the window again. At least he wouldn't have to explain the girl to his father. And Baaya wouldn't ask any questions. He'd have to find out who she was quickly. The sooner he knew, the sooner he could decide upon the proper course of action. Hopefully, the gun would be a useful starting point.

* * *

**Agasa's House**

"Tada-" Conan started, opening the door to the professor's house, only to be greeted by a hysterical Heiji, who was busy on the floor laughing. "-ima," Conan finished, looking puzzled.

"Ah, Conan-kun! Okaeri!" Agasa greeted, bringing some snacks over to the living room, where KID was sitting on the couch and Heiji was busy on the floor dying of laughter. At first glance, it looked like a gathering of old friends, rather than a hot-blooded detective, a wanted thief, and a somewhat unsuccessful inventor. "I'll continue working on the handprint," the professor whispered to Conan as he passed by on his way down towards the lab. Conan gave him a nod and walked over to the sofa, looking at Heiji who was still on the ground.

"Are you alright, Hattori?" Conan asked skeptically, wondering what could be so funny.

"Ah, Conan, ya back," Heiji said, trying to compose himself. He got up off the ground and plopped down onto the sofa. "Sorry, KID was just tellin' me 'bout yesterday," Heiji explained.

"Yesterday?"

"You don't remember, Tantei-kun?" KID asked, eyeing the little boy, "We had so much fun together."

"Ya, ya didn't tell me KID was ya psychologist," Heiji said, wiping away a tear.

"Oh, this again," Conan said, with a groan.

"Man, Conan, ya never tell me anythin'," Heiji said, a mischievous grin of his face. "First Neechan, an now KID-" Heiji just let the words hang there, but it was enough to cause Conan to blush furiously.

"Baro! Nothing happened! In either case!" Conan said quickly. It seemed Heiji and KID had found common ground in teasing the detective.

"Who's 'Neechan'?" KID asked, confused.

"Ah-ya! Nothin', it's nothin'," Heiji quickly said, trying to cover it up.

Conan just sighed. Someday, Heiji was going to blow his cover. He had no doubt about that; it was only a matter of time. But putting that, and psychology incident aside, Conan refocused his thoughts onto what KID had said to him earlier in the night. "What did you mean before, about the men in black, KID?" Conan asked. Suddenly, Heiji grew serious, the look of humor gone from his face.

"Not much," KID shrugged, failing to elaborate.

"I have Nakamori-keibu on speed dial, KID," Conan threatened, reaching for the phone.

"Alright, alright," KID said, his expression one of surrender, "I was telling the truth though; I don't know much. All I know is that when I was preparing for my heist, I saw a couple of men in black roaming around the museum, scouting it out. They seemed pretty amateurish; I'd have at least changed my outfit between days to avoid suspicion."

_KID's right about something_, Conan thought, recalling the organizations faithful attachment to black trench coats. "Go on," Conan said.

"Well, anyways, I saw them again leaving through the emergency exit, when I was, uh, glued to the ceiling. He didn't seem to notice me though. Now, I'm not saying that people who use emergency exits in the middle of the night are suspicious people, but he _was_ rather shady," KID said nonchalantly.

"He?"

"A chubby guy, mid-thirties, with black sunglasses and a fedora," KID described.

"Oi, Hattori," Conan whispered.

"Ya, Vodka," Heiji whispered back.

"Hey, what are you guys whispering about?" KID said interrupting.

"D'you have any idea what they were after?" Conan asked, ignoring KID's question.

"Well, based on where they scouting around, I'd say it'll probably come out on the news tomorrow that the Daemon Chariot has gone missing," KID said.

"Daemon Chariot?" Heiji asked aloud.

"A very expensive ruby, though you wouldn't be able to tell by first glance. Appearance wise, it's actually quite a hideous gem," KID said.

"Then why would anyone want to steal it?" Conan asked.

"Well, rumor has it that it was crafted by some very naughty Soviets back in the Cold War era, if you know what I mean," KID said with a smirk.

"You can't mean-" Conan started, only to have KID nod in assent. Conan instantly fell into deep thought about the new information.

"Dat's not good," Heiji added, likewise contemplating something.

"Ah, but putting aside the doom and gloom and all," KID said, changing the topic and snapping both detectives out of their thoughts, "I was wondering how you knew I'd be using the emergency exit."

Conan and Heiji both just smiled, always excited to put on a good deduction.

"It's because it's the best way to escape if you're coming from the vents," Conan explained.

"Oh, and how did you know I would be in the vents?" KID asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The hint was the first heist-" Heiji said, jumping in.

"-at the Beika Store," Conan said.

"Why would you intentionally try to steal something you knew was fake?" Heiji asked, only to answer his own question, "It's a common technique used in magic-"

"-A diversion. The first heist was a diversion, used to set up the trick for the real heist, wasn't it, KID?" Conan finished.

"Hm?" KID said thoughtfully, "I don't know, Tantei-kun. That just sounds like speculation to me."

Conan grinned confidently at that, ready to prove KID wrong, "You used the walking through the window trick to bait Nakamori-keibu into changing something in the museum."

"Something?" KID asked.

"It all has ta do with da glass," Heiji said.

"In the first trick, you walked through glass, not because you had to, but because you wanted to implant the thought into Nakamori-keibu's head that you could. Then you left him a note saying not to make the same mistake twice, knowing full well that he'd be provoked into adding a second, thicker glass case around your real target, just to prove that you couldn't actually walk through glass," Conan said.

"I don't understand, Tantei-kun. Why would I do that? Wouldn't that make it harder for me to get the gem?" KID asked.

Conan and Heiji both smirked. "Lasers," Heiji pointed out, "Ya real target, da real shooting star, was da Halley's Comet. But its security system had just been upgraded with a new state of da art laser protection system. There was no way fa ya ta circumvent it. But that's where da second glass case came into play." Heiji passed it off to Conan.

"When Nakamori-keibu added the second glass case, the thickness of the glass refracted the lasers enough that a small gap was created, just big enough for you to slip the gem through. All you had to do then was get into the vents above the gem, use a drill, drill through both glass cases, and lift the gem up, thereby getting around the laser system," Conan explained, a grin across his face.

"That sounds like an awful lot of work," KID said, "Why wouldn't I just walk through the glass cases, like I did in the first heist?"

"Aho, as if ya could," Heiji replied, "Da first trick only worked cuz ya messed with da window. Ya couldn't do dat with da second heist cuz Nakamori-keibu was double and triple checkin' the glass used in da display cases."

"Does that mean you know the trick behind the first heist?" KID asked, curious.

"Flexiglass," Conan said, "Flexible carbon fiber glass, with a cut down the middle, creating an opening. When you pushed on the glass, it bent just enough for you to get through, making it appear that you were walking through glass."

"Ah but you weren't there, so you probably wouldn't know that the officers couldn't make it through," KID countered.

"Ya probably laced ya white suite with some rubber cement, so when ya passed through da glass, rubber cement was wiped onto da crack, sealin' it up when ya exited on da other side," Heiji reasoned.

"Then while everyone was distracted trying to catch you, your partner went back and replaced the window, making it look like you walked through normal glass," Conan finished, a wide grin across the boy's face.

Upon hearing the two detectives give their deduction, Kid just laughed, conceding defeat, "Alright, you got me, detectives. But, there was a flaw in your plan too."

"What's that?" Conan asked.

"You were aiming to capture me and those men in black right? If we both used the same exit, as what actually happened, you'd only be able to get one of us with your trap."

"Actually, we thought of that, so the device was set with multiple charges. Unfortunately, it turns out the professor made a slight miscalculation with the force of the goo, since the first charge actually jammed the dispersion device," Conan explained, an image of the laughing professor making a timely appearance in his mind.

"That's quite unfortunate. Still, it was a rather crafty plan," KID laughed, appearing happy despite his tricks being exposed, "As expected of my favorite little detective," KID said, giving Conan a mischievous grin. Conan wasn't sure if he wanted to scowl because KID had called him _little_, blush because KID had called him _favorite_, or beam because KID had acknowledged his detective prowess. So Conan's expression was a mix of the three, which only caused KID to laugh harder. Turning to Heiji, KID said, "Oh, and I think I have a new favorite big detective, too."

"Ya callin' me fat, KID?" Heiji asked, temper rising.

But before the situation could develop, Agasa interrupted. "Conan-kun, Hattori-kun," the professor said, coming up from the lab, "I've finally managed to get a hit on the handprint!"

Conan and Heiji turned to the approaching professor, which was just long enough for KID to stand up and drop several smoke bombs into the room, filling the room with white smoke. Everyone started coughing.

"Well, detectives, tonight has been pleasant, but looks like you have some things to take care of. I shall take my leave," KID said, his voice coming from somewhere in the smoke. When the smoke finally cleared, KID was gone.

"Kaitou KID's escaped!" the professor exclaimed.

"I was wondrin' when he'd leave," Heiji said, looking around the room.

"He was here longer than I expected," Conan added.

"Eh?" the professor said, confused.

"KID was free da moment we put those cuffs on him," Heiji said, leaning back into the couch, "Da cuffs were easy enough fa him ta pick after all."

"So why didn't just he run away?" the professor asked.

Conan just shrugged. "Who know what goes through that head of his?"

"But isn't a problem that he escaped?" the professor insisted.

"Give and take, right?" Conan said with a shrug, referring to his frenemy relationship with the thief, "Anyways, Hakase, you were saying something about identifying the handprint?"

"Right," Agasa said, recovering, "It belongs to a low level criminal called Kaza Akahito. He was primarily involved in small crimes: petti thefts, car jacking's, convenience store robberies. His street name was Aka Nishin."

"Aka," Conan started.

"Nishin" Heiji finished. The two shared a knowing look.

"Do you want me to keep investigating?" Agasa asked, directing his question toward the two detectives.

"Aka Nishin," Conan repeated again, ignoring the professor's question, "Red Herring."

"It could be a coincidence, but-" Heiji trailed off.

"When did his first crimes start?" Conan asked.

"About a year ago," the professor replied. A perplexed look crossed Conan's face.

"What's up, Kudo?" Heiji asked, noticing the boy's expression.

"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking this case had too many coincidences," Conan replied.

"Dat reminds me, did ya get anythin' out of Vermouth?"

"She said that the kidnapping was just a field test for their agent, the one that got shot," Conan said, recounting his conversation with the cryptic woman.

"Dat's plausible, but-"

"It doesn't make any sense, right, Hattori? I mean, why bother to use that specific rifle? There are thousands of other rifles, most of which are probably easier to obtain. And sure, let's just say that the haiku and vault combination were done by Vermouth because she wanted to help me escape. But was it really coincidence that I of all people was kidnapped by the Black Organization?" Conan wondered aloud.

"An there's still dat four hour window unaccounted for," Heiji added.

"Also, Vermouth said something odd, 'don't worry, the organization doesn't know your identity.' Why would she assume I was worried about that, unless she already knew that I thought _They_ knew? And why would she think that I thought _They_ knew unless she knew that _They_ purposely acted in a way so as to make me suspect _They_ knew? There's also the logical loop that's been created, if we assume the BO doesn't know my identity."

"Logical loop, Shinichi?" the professor, who had up until now been silently listening, asked.

"The only reason I concluded that the BO was responsible for the kidnapping was because the man in black was dressed to bait people who knew about the Black Organization. The bait was just too specific. But if that wasn't the case, that is, he just happened to be dressed that way, then it'd be merely coincidental that I was right. And like I said, there are too many coincidences in this case," Conan explained, rubbing his temples.

"Somethin' still not right, Kudo," Heiji said, also developing a headache.

Conan nodded, "And Haibara's still missing."

"D'you think _They_ got Ai-kun, Shinichi?" the professor asked, worried.

Conan shook his head, "No, based on what KID said, the organization only sent one member to the museum to steal the gem and he walked out the emergency exit stairs. If Vermouth was telling the truth about Haibara, about her being on the roof, she wouldn't have met them."

"But what was Ai-kun doing on the roof?" the professor wondered aloud.

"Trying to bait out the BO," Conan reasoned, "She was probably going to try and make a deal with them. After all, she took the antidote and reverted to her adult form. My guess is she was walking around Tokyo, waiting for someone from the BO to notice her and follow her to the museum. The question is, where is she now?"

The question lingered in the air, causing the three people to fall into silent contemplation.

* * *

**Hakuba's House, Ekoda**

Hakuba looked over at the girl soundly sleeping on his bed, wondering what he should do next. He had asked Baaya to find some more fitting clothes to change the girl into, so the girl was no longer buried in her own clothing. But he was no closer to finding out her identity. The gun lead had been a bust; the serial number on the gun had been filed off, making it untraceable. Furthermore, the girl had no identification on her, no driver's license, no credit card, nothing.

"Who are you?" Hakuba thought aloud, his gaze returning to the computer screen. The computer was opened to a search engine, the cursor blinking as it waited patiently for words to be typed. "Hold on, she'd mentioned Kudo, right? Maybe she knows that detective?" Hakuba typed _Kudo Shinichi_ into the search engine. Articles about cases being solved by the Detective of the East, how he was the savior of the police force, popped up in the search results. There were a couple of articles about his sudden disappearance as well. _That was, what, a year ago now?_ Apparently, the detective had just suddenly vanished without a trace, himself becoming a case to be solved.

"A year ago, huh?" Hakuba muttered to no one in particular. _Come to think of it, it was right around that time that Sleeping Kogoro appeared_, Hakuba thought, entering _Mouri Kogoro _to the search engine. He scrolled through articles about the mustached detective, mostly reports about how Sleeping Kogoro had magically solved cases that puzzled local police officers. One website even had a biography about the detective, in addition to a picture of his family: wife, daughter, and son. _Ah right, that boy, Edogawa Conan_, Hakuba thought as he noticed the boy in the picture. The murder in the Sunset Mansion suddenly came to mind. _He's certainly a clever one_, _that boy_. Maybe it was an inherited thing.

"Hold on," Hakuba mumbled. As he recalled, Conan wasn't Kogoro's actual son. What had Mouri called the child? A freeloader? Hakuba let out a rare smirk at that.

Regardless, the boy was as good a detective as any of those present at the mansion. "In fact," Hakuba mumbled, stopping to think for a moment. What was the boy, six or seven? Had he, Hakuba, been that smart at six or seven? Observant maybe, but sheer knowledge is built up over time, something a seven year old hasn't had much of. It was a curious point. Up until that moment, Hakuba had just assumed Sleep Kogoro was training the boy to be a detective but…what if there was another explanation for the child's seemingly endless wealth of knowledge? _Could it be…?_

Before tonight, Hakuba would never have even entertained such a thought. But tonight's events had made him realize the impossible might just be possible. Hakuba opened a second tab in his web browser, re-entering the name _Kudo Shinichi_. He then pulled up the picture of Edogawa Conan, putting the two pictures side by side. After comparing the two pictures, Hakuba took a look back at the girl sleep on his bed, a spark of understanding igniting.

He'd have to find out some more about Edogawa Conan.

* * *

**Agasa's House**

Conan was on the couch, struggling to keep his eyes open. He had almost no sleep in the past two days and once again, his body was at its limit.

"Ya, Kudo, ya alright there?" Heiji asked, looking over at the sleepy boy, "It's almost morning. Maybe ya should get some sleep."

"I'm fine," Conan said, snapping himself awake, "It just feels like we're back to square one with the Black Organization." They had been discussing the matter all throughout the night, testing hypothesis and seeing what conclusions could be drawn:

- Was it a field test? Possibly. It's what Vermouth would have them believe. If Brandy was being test, and lacked the experience of the other BO members, it would explain why a hired grunt was used for the kidnapping, though the grunt's name, Red Herring, still bothered Conan.  
- Was it a way to distract the police in preparation for the museum heist? Probably not, given that the BO had already timed the robbery so that KID's heist would serve as a distraction.  
- Was it some attempt to get at Kogoro? Conan couldn't see any reason the BO would want to do such a thing.  
- Was it because _They_ discovered his identity? It's what Conan originally believed, but events since had contradicted such a conclusion.

All in all, they seemed to be no closer to the truth than when they first started.

"Well, maybe Vermouth was right about ya being a victim of opportunity," Heiji suggested, "I mean, ya get involved in murders, what, on a daily basis?"

"I guess," Conan acquiesced, "It's just…that explanation isn't very satisfying."

"No, it's not," Heiji agreed, falling silent again.

A sudden knock on the door pulled the two away from their conversation. Agasa went to get it.

"Ai-kun!" the professor exclaimed as he opened the door.

"What?!" Conan and Heiji both exclaimed, jumping off the sofa.

"You!" Heiji remarked upon arriving next to the professor. "What did ya do ta her?!" Heiji accused, glaring at the figure at the door. It was Hakuba.

"Calm down," Hakuba replied coolly, "I found this girl collapsed by the sidewalk. I believe she lives here?"

"And where would dis sidewalk be?" Heiji asked, eyeing Hakuba suspiciously.

"By Beika Hospital. I was leaving after visiting a friend and just happened to spot this girl lying on the ground," Hakuba explained calmly.

"Uh-huh," Heiji said, still skeptical, "And ya just happen ta know where she lives?"

"I'm a detective, aren't I?" Hakuba said, handing Haibara over to the professor. "Good day then," Hakuba said with a wave, ending the short meeting.

"Ah wait," Conan said, stopping Hakuba; the latter raised an eyebrow. The two stared at each other for a moment, trying to deduce the other's thoughts. Conan finally broke away from the mini-battle, an innocent smile forming across his face. "Thank you, Hakuba-niisan!" Conan chirped. Hakuba gave the boy a smile in turn and headed off to the car that was waiting for him at the curb.

"Well, it's lucky that he found Haibara, isn't it?" Agasa said, bringing Haibara inside.

"Yeah…" Conan said, his words trailing off. The smile was gone. _Damn, I hate coincidences_.

* * *

**Somewhere in Japan**

"Welcome back, Vermouth. Things went well, I trust."

"Naturally. How did the other thing go?"

"We have what we need."

"And Edogawa Conan?"

"I think it is time we begin phase three."

* * *

The week slowly dragged by. Every day, Conan would walk out and around Tokyo alone, seeing if anyone from the Black Organization would be following him. He even went out as Haibara a few times. But there was nothing: no one tailing him, no bugs in Hakase's house, no one snooping around his old house next door, no suspicious people lurking about. It seemed like the Black Organization really didn't know about his or Haibara's covers. The kidnapping was looking more and more like a coincidence. Maybe Vermouth was telling the truth, about him being unlucky; maybe he was just a crime magnet.

Everything was slowly returning to normal. Even the bruising on Conan's neck was starting to heal. Soon, the only evidence that Conan's kidnapping had occurred was the body of the man called Red Herring, but that line of investigation was probably just that, a red herring.

After the first day, Heiji went back to Osaka, telling Conan to call if anything new developed. Kazuha had been getting antsy and was threatening to come to Tokyo if Heiji didn't return.

By the second day, Haibara had finally woken up, a bit dazed and wondering what happened. When Conan told her, she shouted that Hakuba knew about his identity. Conan just nodded his head, "Probably."_ How can you be so casual?_ Haibara had asked him. Conan just pulled out the, "He's a Holmes fan. I'm sure it'll be fine." explanation. Truth was, Conan knew Hakuba could keep a secret. What concerned Conan more was what Hakuba would do next. Would he begin to investigate the matter? He probably knew nothing about the men in black. And it was probably best to keep things that way. But a detective on a case often cannot be stopped; Conan knew that better than anyone. And if that were so, would it be better to enlist the detective's help, as he had done Heiji?

On Friday, the Shonen Tantei showed up, wondering why Conan and Haibara had missed the entire week of school. Conan explained Haibara had been sick and he was taking care of her, to which there were some _oooo_'s from Genta and Mitsuhiko and a cry of protest from Ayumi. The truth was, Conan didn't want Haibara out in the open until he was sure it was safe, but it seemed like that conclusion was fast coming. As the days passed by quietly, soon, even Conan was beginning to think the matter with the Black Organization was over for now, that he just happened to be at that alley at the wrong time.

Then a full week passed; it was Saturday again. And then it was Sunday. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday all passed by uneventfully. Conan and Haibara had gone back to school and life seemed to return to the way it was, mundane. Thursday and Friday came and left, bringing it to a full two weeks since the kidnapping.

As Conan left Agasa's house, where he had been staying for the past two weeks, and made his way back to the agency, his thoughts were still on the kidnapping, going over the incident in his mind. With the organization silent again, what could he really do but wait? He could speculate and deduce all he wanted about the organization's intentions, but truth was, if the organization knew he was Kudo Shinichi, he'd probably be dead by now. The fact that the organization hadn't acted only further verified Vermouth's story about the kidnapping being a test of Brandy's skills. It was a frustrating and unsatisfying conclusion to his encounter with the BO, but Conan really had nothing else to go on. It wasn't as if he couldn't call Rena again for more information; it was too risky, too soon. After all, _They_ might already suspect the presence of a mole. With little moves left for him to make, Conan had to settle for waiting on the next opportunity to arise.

He certainly wouldn't be idle though, what with Ran coming back from New York soon. That was a whole different can of worms. Would she still be on her crusade to uncover his identity? He hadn't been in touch with his parents recently, so he had no idea what happened in New York. But hopefully the trip had quelled Ran's suspicions, dulled them with time. Hopefully.

Conan entered the agency, everything looking exactly like it had two weeks prior. That was to be expected though. After all, no one had been there. Conan took his shoes off and dropped himself on the couch, turning on the television to a soccer game. Ran's flight was due back in the afternoon, a couple hours from now. Conan decided he'd Zen-out a bit before then, in preparation for Ran's return.

Sure enough, around 4PM, Conan heard footsteps climbing the stairs; a turning of the handle signaled Ran's arrival. Conan looked up from the couch expectantly. Ran was saying something as she walked through the door.

"We need to talk, Shinichi."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Really, really long chapter because I had to wrap up the arc, but I hope it was an interesting read.=]

**PS. Probably should have made this more explicit. The location of KID's first heist is BEIKA STORE, which is what you get if you read the first letter of each sentence in the heist notice from bottom up. Props to Tobina for figuring it out (and anyone else who managed to guess it)! =]**

**tl;dr** (for those with short attention spans): Hakuba suspects Conan is actually Kudo Shinichi. Hakuba brings Haibara back to Agasa's. KID tells Conan and Heiji about the men in black and how _They _stole the Daemon Chariot. Conan and Heiji reveal the tricks used in KID's two heists. KID makes his escape. Agasa tells Conan/Heiji that the man in black is Red Herring. Despite their doubts, Conan and Heiji come to accept that the kidnapping was just an unlucky coincidence for Conan and the true purpose was to test the new Black Organization member, Brandy. Since the BO made no attempts at Conan or Haibara after Conan's escape, it is the only conclusion Conan can come to. Ran returns from New York.

If you feel frustrated/disappointed/annoyed that the BO arc ended in such an anticlimactic way, good! Because that's exactly how Conan feels! Even though Conan thinks there's some further intention behind the BO's actions, he has no choice but to accept what Vermouth told him because there aren't any other clues. But you can be sure the BO's plot isn't over yet! Be on the lookout for "phase three" =P

**As always, comments/questions in the reviews are much appreciated! Some food for thought:**

**1. What do you think Hakuba is going to do now that he suspects Conan is Shinichi?**  
**2. Why would the BO steal the Daemon Chariot, what Gin calls Pandora's Box?**  
**3. What's "phase three"?**

Next chapter will be an interlude, as we see what Ran has been up to in New York. See you guys in the next chapter!


	18. Interlude: Detective Ran is on the Case!

Disclaimer: I don't own DC.

* * *

"Moshi moshi?"

"Ah, Sonoko? It's Ran."

"Ran? What's up?"

"Oh, it's nothing big. I was just calling to say that I'll be in New York for the next two weeks. So don't worry if you don't see me in school, alright?" Ran explained.

"WHAT?! New York? You didn't tell me anything about this!" Sonoko yelled into the phone.

"Sorry. It was rather sudden," Ran apologized, "You see, Otousan won an all-expense paid trip to New York for two weeks and decided to bring me along. The tickets only came in the mail today and we're already at the airport. So, things have been a bit hectic."

"You know, Ran, you're uncannily lucky," Sonoko complained.

"Haha, you think so?" Ran asked, wondering how true the statement was.

"What's up, Ran? You don't sound too happy about going to New York," Sonoko asked, picking up on Ran's lackluster attitude.

"Uh," Ran said, wondering if she should tell Sonoko about what happened at the hospital.

"It's me, Ran. You can tell me anything," Sonoko said pressing Ran on.

"Well," Ran started slowly, "Shinichi, I, um-" Ran fumbled around with the words, trying to find the best way to say it.

"That detective geek? What'd he do this time?" Sonoko asked, preempting Ran's explanation.

"He didn't, I mean, we-" Ran sputtered.

"Oh, did husband and wife finally share a kiss?" Sonoko teased suggestively.

"Sort of," Ran managed, glad that Sonoko had said it instead of her.

"So, you or him?" Sonoko asked.

"Huh?" Ran replied, confused.

"Did you kiss him or did he kiss you?" Sonoko pressed.

"Well, we didn't actually kiss. We were kind of interrupted," Ran said, the thought of the incident causing her to blush.

Sonoko just sighed, "And here I was about to ask when the wedding was going to take place."

"Mou, Sonoko," Ran said, smiling in exasperation at her friend's romantic, and rather unrealistic, thoughts.

* * *

Ran dialed another number, looking around the airport as she waited for the call to connect. The plane was set to arrive in an hour, so there was still some time to kill. A voice from her cell indicated that the call had gone through.

"Ah, Kazuha?"

"Ran-chan! I was worried somethin' might ov happen'd ta ya when ya hung up before!"

"Oh, sorry," Ran apologized into the phone, "Something came up."

"Somethin'?"

"Well, you see…" Ran started, explaining the situation to Kazuha just as she had explained it to Sonoko.

"EHHH?! Ya kissed Kudo-kun?!" Kazuha exclaimed.

"Something like that," Ran explained, smiling at the girl's excitement. _It's sort of the truth_, Ran thought silently, _After all, Conan is Shinichi, right?_

"And?" Kazuha asked.

"And what?" Ran replied.

"Well, what d'ya do afterwards? Make out? Somethin' more?" Kazuha asked, causing Ran to blush furiously.

"Ah, nothing like that," Ran quickly said, "I had to rush to the airport afterwards."

"That's weak, Ran! Too weak! Ya have ta cook da food while da fire's still hot!" Kazuha exclaimed. Ran just laughed; why were all her friends like this?

* * *

"Welcome aboard, passengers. This will be a direct flight from Tokyo Airport to JFK. The flight will be approximately twelve hours. Before we take off, I would like to remind everyone of a few safety instructions," the flight attendant said, as she held up a seatbelt for everyone to see. Ran tuned the attendant out, her mind drifting to the last time she had gone to New York. It had been with Shinichi and what felt like ages ago. So much had happened since then: Shinichi's disappearance at the amusement park, Conan's abrupt appearance in Shinichi's place. _Shinichi._

As Ran looked out the window, she noticed the airplane begin to taxi to the runway. The plane would take off soon, taking her away from Japan, away from Conan. But Conan, no, Shinichi would be fine, right? He was always the capable one, always ready to rescue her in case she got into trouble. So despite that look in his eyes, the look that spoke of danger, Shinichi would be fine, right?

Ran closed her own eyes, imagining Conan's face as he told her to go to New York. That face, the seriousness of it, the protectiveness that laid behind those piercing eyes, it was all something foreign to a child's face. It was the expression of someone who had seen much, lived beyond his years, and perhaps that was exactly what Conan was. It was the expression which had convinced her to go to New York, to leave an apparent child behind, alone. It was the expression which had convinced her that Conan was indeed Shinichi. But that only brought about so many more questions. Why/how had Shinichi become Conan? Could he turn back? Ran was terrible at these kinds of deductions; they were Shinichi's specialty after all. All she knew was that Shinichi and Conan were the same person and that he was in some kind of trouble, big enough trouble that he needed her to be out of the country.

_Be careful, Shinichi, _Ran thought as she felt the plane take off.

* * *

Eleven hours, and several terrible movies later, the plane finally landed in New York. The passengers were allowed to disembark and pass through customs, ultimately arriving at the baggage claim.

Ran stood and waited, watching the rotating conveyor belt bring the luggage out of the airplane. Finally, she spotted her own bag, a rather small pink duffle. Since they had to leave so quickly, she hadn't managed to pack much, just a simple change of clothes. She'd probably have to buy more after they got settled at the hotel, but at least she had something. Her father had completely forgotten to pack, though by the time he realized it at the check-in at the airport it was already too late.

"Otousan," Ran called as she walked over to where her father was waiting, duffle bag in her hand. Her father, instead of looking upset about forgetting to pack, was busy eyeing the crowd, for Yoko Okino most likely.

"That's odd," Kogoro said as Ran approached. He looked genuinely perplex, "I don't see Yoko-chan anywhere."

"Well, the letter did say that she would be busy filming a new movie," Ran said, then added, "Ah, over there. I think those people are looking for us." Ran pointed to two burley looking men, each hold a sign that read, "Mouri". Ran walked over to them. "Hi, are you from the contest? We're the Mouri's," Ran greeted, pointing to herself and her father.

"Ah, yes! Welcome to New York, Mouri-san," one of the men said in a gruff voice. He sounded like he had a cold. "My name is Lewis, Lewis Bugs. Pleased to meet you," Lewis greeted, fortunately in Japanese. Ran gave the man a smile.

"And my name is Clark, Clark Daffy. It is a pleasure to meet you. And again, congratulations on winning our sweepstakes," Clark greeted, his voice clearly a pitch higher than Lewis'. By this time, Kogoro had walked up to the two men and was busy eyeing them suspiciously.

"Where's Yoko-chan?" Kogoro asked, clearly on a one track mind.

"Ah, we'll be meeting her later in the week," Lewis explained, "For now, how about we get you two settled in the hotel? You must be exhausted." And with that, the four people got into a car and drove off into the city.

* * *

Lewis and Clark brought them exploring around New York at a dizzying pace. Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Empire State Building, Broadway, Brooklyn Bridge- somehow they managed to tour all the landmarks of New York before the week was up. They even managed to go shopping for clothes and souvenirs at the various stores around the city, as well as try out several different ethnic cuisines. Quite frankly, Ran was exhausted, having barely any time to think about, well, anything. Each day would literally begin at dawn and end at dusk. By the time she returned to the hotel, she was so tired that she just fell onto the bed and slept. And just like that, day by day, an entire week passed until it was Saturday once more.

Saturday brought about a change in pace. Kogoro had been pestering all week about meeting with Yoko-chan and finally, Lewis and Clark said Yoko had some time in her schedule to meet with them. Ran and her father were brought to the studio where Yoko was supposed to be working, which actually turned out to be the production site for a Broadway show.

"Yoko-chan is filming here?" Kogoro asked, looking around the theatre.

"Yes," Lewis replied, "She's working on incorporating aspects of theatre into her movie." Over the week, Ran had concluded that Lewis didn't have an actual cold; he just always sounded like he had one.

"She's probably in her dressing room. I'll go get her," Clark said as he disappeared into a nearby hallway.

"So, what company do you two work for?" Ran asked in the meantime, finally having a chance to catch her breath.

"Company?" Lewis asked, confused by the question.

"Ah, I mean, who sponsored this sweepstakes? " Ran clarified.

"Oh, that's-" Lewis began to say but was cut off by sudden holler from Kogoro.

"Yoko-chan!" Kogoro shouted, noticing the TV star walking out to meet them.

"Ah, Mouri-san!" Yoko said, smiling and waving at the detective. Kogoro suddenly became giddy, a lustful smile forming on his face. Yoko was wearing a pink t-shirt with tight jeans, which perhaps made Kogoro all the happier. Without pause, Kogoro dashed forward and grabbed onto Yoko's hand, planting a kiss. "Yoko-chan, you are as lovely as ever."

"You're always so nice, Mouri-san," Yoko replied.

There was a momentary silence as Kogoro stared right into Yoko's face; Yoko looked right back, the two seemingly locked by their gazes. But then suddenly, and without explanation, Kogoro's eyes narrowed, a suspicious look forming on his face. "Wait a minute," Kogoro said slowly but quickly gained speed, "You're not Yoko-chan! Who are you?!" Ran, and Yoko, were both taken aback at Kogoro's outburst.

"What do you mean, Mouri-san? It's me, Yoko-chan," Yoko said, looking shocked.

"Yoko-chan never refers to herself that way!" Kogoro said. Without warning, the mustached detective suddenly reached up a hand and tugged on the woman's face. Ran was about to leap forward and smack her father, but the sound of a disguise being ripped off stopped Ran in her tracks. "Y-yukiko?" Kogoro stuttered, surprised; the disguise dropped from his hand to the ground.

"Shinichi's mother?" Ran asked, equally surprised.

Yukiko just dropped to the ground, face in her hands. "I'm a failure as an actress," she cried dramatically, "My perfect disguise that I spent thirty hours making, to be discovered so quickly!" _And by this man of all people_, she added silently, practically on the verge of tears.

"Now, now, Yukiko. I suspected this might happen," Lewis said, pulling off his disguise in one fluid motion.

"Shinichi's father?" Ran asked, looking over at Yusaku. "What's going on? Why were you two dressed up as our tour guides?"

"Ah, well, it was supposed to be a surprise," Yusaku explained.

"A surprise?" Ran asked, still confused about the whole thing.

"Shin-chan said he hadn't seen you in so long that he wanted to invite you to New York for a vacation and asked if we would show you guys around," Yukiko explained, recovering from her shock.

"Shinichi did?" Ran asked, an image of the detective appearing in her mind. Was Shinichi really here, in New York? Had Conan somehow become Shinichi after she left and flew to New York after her? Ran could feel her heart be a little faster at the prospect of seeing the detective again, when he wasn't the child Conan.

"And? Where is that detective brat?" Kogoro asked, clearly upset that there was no Yoko.

"Ah, he suddenly got caught up in a case and couldn't make it," Yusaku explained, pulling out the tired excuse.

"I see," Ran said, suddenly depressed, her expectations crushed. So Shinichi wasn't in New York after all._ Baka_, Ran thought to herself, _why would he be here when he has something important to do in Japan?_ Conan's look of protectiveness flashed through her mind again; the week had been so hectic that she hadn't thought about Shinichi since they landed. But now that the topic was brought up again, all those past worries and suspicions came flooding back.

"Ran-chan, how about we go get some desserts, just the two of us. It'll be a ladies' night. How about it?" Yukiko asked, noticing the troubled look on Ran's face. Ran just nodded, though she was in actuality quite apathetic to the idea. Her mind was once again on Shinichi.

* * *

"Ran-chan, you've barely touched your cake," Yukiko said, pointing to the cheesecake sitting in front of Ran.

"Huh? Oh, I'm not that hungry," Ran said, clearly distracted. Yukiko looked at Ran and sighed, having a pretty good suspicion as to what was bothering the teen.

"Ran-chan," Yukiko started, drawing the girl's attention, "You know, the truth is, I miss him too, Shin-chan that is." That sure got Ran's attention, her ears perking at the mention of the detective's name.

"Shinchi? You miss him too?" Ran asked, all but confirming that that was what was bothering her.

Yukiko nodded her head. "He's always so busy working cases that I barely ever see him. And a mother worries."

_She hit the nail on the head_, Ran thought. Shinichi was always on a case, always telling her to wait for him. Did his case have something to do with him becoming Conan? But why couldn't he just tell her? "How can you stand not knowing where he is, what he's doing, or when he's going to be back?" Ran asked, a little louder than she intended.

"Have you ever heard of the kite analogy, Ran-chan?" Ran shook her head. "Well, how do you fly a kite? If you always hold tight onto the string, try to keep the kite as close as possible, the kite won't fly. It'll be too low and end up crashing down back to the ground. For the kite to really shine, you have to release the string and let it go where it goes. Same thing with Shinichi. If he wants to work a case, I can't stop him. The most I can do is be his lifeline and give him all the support that I can."

_Support Shinichi? _Ran could do that. Heck, she was doing it for as long as she could remember. Whether it was cleaning his house in his absence or reminding him of his own birthday, she had always been there to support him. _Even more so_, Ran thought, turning red, _now that he's Conan._

"Something the matter, Ran-chan?" Yukiko asked, noticing the girl's flushed appearance.

"Ah, it's just-" Ran trailed off.

"You're wondering how long you can keep waiting, aren't you, Ran-chan?" Yukiko asked.

Ran nodded her head silently. How long could she keep waiting for Conan to tell her that he was actually Shinichi? How long could she keep waiting for him to return to his normal self? Would his case ever finish? Would she always be waiting?

"Ran-chan," Yukiko said, her tone serious, "You have to do what will make you happy, whether that is finding a way to make your relationship with Shin-chan work or ending it. But the worst thing you can do is nothing. I may be Shin-chan's mother, but I'm also a woman. And I know how oblivious men can be, both to our feelings and their own. Men think they can protect us by being silent, keeping us ignorant of the situation. But that's not always the case. You're strong, Ran-chan. Don't be idle and let the world make you miserable." Yukiko gave Ran a gentle smile, one with wisdom gathered from age.

_Shinichi's mother is right__!_ Ran thought to herself. Up until now, she had just been waiting for him, waiting for Shinichi to tell her. But what she really should have been doing was pursuing him. If she really cared about him, she'd confront him about it, about his identity as Conan. She had to stop being passive and let things happen to her. She had to take control of her own destiny, for the sake of her own, and Shinichi's, happiness. "Thank you, Yukiko-san," Ran said, smiling and feeling much better.

* * *

As expected, Ran found her father and Yusaku sitting at the hotel bar, already three or four drinks in. She had been looking for them with a specific purpose; she needed to ask them something. See, Ran figured that in order to confront Shinichi about his identity as Conan, she would need undeniable proof that the two were one and the same. Last time she had tried to confront him, by bringing Conan back to Shinichi's house, Shinichi merely quipped that she shouldn't make accusations without evidence. Well, she would be prepared with evidence this time; she'd beat him at his own game. At least, she would as soon as she figured out what that evidence might be. Unfortunately for Ran, the person she'd usually ask about these matters was the very person she was investigating. So she had to go a different route.

"Ah, Otousan, Yusaku-san," Ran greeted, walking up to the two, "I wanted to ask you two something."

"You want to ask something?" Yusaku replied, slightly drunk, "Oh, do you want to hear a riddle?" Ran shook her head, but Yusaku was too out of it to notice and instead proceeded with the riddle anyways, "

Of my sisters, I have the fairest face,  
And it is I who shields Hera from cold's embrace.  
My motions simple physics confirm,  
Is of cycles, a term, a term.  
Finally, some say a shape shifter I am.  
For sometimes I am a lion, and sometimes a lamb.  
What am I?"

Ran just shrugged, not particularly paying attention to the riddle.

"The answer is ********!" Yusaku exclaimed happily. (A/N: Number of stars is arbitrary. # of Stars does not equal # of letters)

"Oh, that's great," Ran said, trying to get in her question, "Ne, I was wondering. How would you prove that two people were really the same person?"

"That's a silly question, Ran!" Kogoro chimed in, his words slurred by the alcohol, "You'd just look at them!"

"But," Ran said, getting a little frustrated, "What if one of them was in disguise and you couldn't tell by physical appearance?"

"In that case," Yusaku said dramatically, "You'd prolly want to compare DNA or fingerprints between the two people. Am I right, Kogoro?" The two men burst out laughing.

"Another round, bartender!" Kogoro called.

_Fingerprints, huh,_ Ran thought.

* * *

After Shinichi's parents' identities had been revealed, and the ruse over, there was no more reason to frantically tour New York. That had given Ran a lot of time to think about how she would approach the Shinichi-Conan problem. Shinichi's father had given her the idea that she could use fingerprints to prove that Conan and Shinichi were in fact the same person. That would be the proof she needed to confront him about the issue once and for all. And Conan's fingerprints would be easy to get; she had even read online about how to do it. But Shinichi's fingerprints would be much more challenging. There didn't seem to be any pattern to when Conan would vanish, only to be replaced by his grown up self.

For that matter, the whole transforming idea still confused Ran. Even if Hakase had made Shinichi drink some weird potion, the professor must have the antidote right? After all, Shinichi had appeared before her plenty of times after Conan's first appearance. So, there was a way for him to "grow up" so to speak. But then, why did he keep returning to Conan? And why keep it a secret from her? Was he just embarrassed? Or was it something else? The whole deducting thing was making Ran's head hurt.

She put aside the what-if's/why's and returned to her plan. For now, she decided that she'd pretend Conan and Shinichi were two different people, so as to not arouse the detective's suspicions. After all, if she made overt actions that revealed her suspicions of Conan as Shinichi, the detective might put up his guard and prevent her from gathering the proof she needed. And she needed the proof; she was no longer satisfied with just waiting and hoping he'd eventually telling her. For now, she'd trick him as he tricked her. And while it was an unpleasant feeling, lying to him, it was for the greater good, wasn't it? This would finally allow both of them to move on, whether together or separately.

As Ran reached the second floor of the agency, she pulled out her cellphone and flipped it open. She didn't enter a number though, instead just putting the phone to her ear and cracking open the door a little; Conan was inside and on the couch, watching TV. _Good, _Ran thought.

Ran swung open the door, speaking loudly into the phone as she did so. "We need to talk, Shinichi," Ran said, making sure Conan could hear her, "Call me as soon as you get this message." With that, Ran closed the phone and put it back into her pocket. Hopefully, that'd convince Conan that she was oblivious to him secretly being Shinichi.

A look over at the couch showed Conan waiting expectantly. "Hello, Conan-kun," Ran greeted with a smile.

"Hi, Ran-neechan!" the boy said excited, jumping off the couch, "How was New York?"

"Enlightening," Ran replied. _Just you wait, Shinichi. I'll prove this case yet._

* * *

"Is that the Daemon Chariot?"

"Yes."

"And the projector?"

"The wavelength has been set to 666 nano meters."

"Good. Place the gem into projector."

"These numbers and letters-!"

"Yes, our Soviet friends were quite naughty, weren't they?"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Can you figure out the riddle? Post your guesses in the reviews!  
Here it is again for those who missed it:

Of my sisters, I have the fairest face,  
And it is I who shields Hera from cold's embrace.  
My motions simple physics confirm,  
Is of cycles, a term, a term.  
Finally, some say a shape shifter I am.  
For sometimes I am a lion, and sometime a lamb.  
What am I?

And Ran does know about Shinichi's identity (I use know loosely, it's more like strongly suspects), but I bet it didn't turn out the way you were expecting, did it? Detective Ran, reporting for duty! =P


	19. Arc Three: Prelude

Disclaimer: I don't own DC

* * *

_It's me. I mean, it's me but it's not me. I'm here, and he's there. But he looks exactly like me, has my face, my hands, my body. The operating table. The boy's awake, moving his head around. I look around too. We're in a room. There's a mirror in front. An interrogation room? Is there someone behind the mirror?_

_The boy looks at the mirror, his own face reflected. My face. That expression. My expression. It's a look of contemplation. _

_What is this familiarity? Have I been here before? Have I seen this boy before? Of course! I mean, it's me, but not really. So why is everything so familiar? I can't, I can't remember._

_The boy's struggling. He's trying to move. But he's tied to the table with towels. Extending from his bare torso are wires. An EKG machine. The machine's needle is moving slowly. On the other side, a cart. It's measuring heart rate, pulse, oxygen. Behind, an EEG machine. Wires attached to the boy's scalp. Is he a patient? A perplexed look crosses the boy's face. _

_I call out to him. "Do you need help?" But my voice goes unheard. I try to move. I try to get closer. But I too am bound. An invisible force keeps me hovering. An observer. _

_A man walks in. He's pushing a small cart. A surgeon? His back is to me. He's dressed completely in black. The boy notices the surgeon. His eyes narrow. "Where am I?" the boy asks. The surgeon doesn't say a word. Instead, he reaches for the cart. A clipboard. The surgeon makes note of the vitals. The boy is quiet throughout. He is just watching the surgeon. _

_The surgeon does something odd. He pulls out an old fashion stereo, places it on top. From his pocket, a cassette tape is retrieved. He places the tape into the stereo. Play is pressed. Music begins to resound. It's Requiem for a Dream. The melody begins to permeate. Still, the surgeon is silent. He reaches once again into the cart. A belt this time. Several wires hanging out. The surgeon attaches the belt to the boy's waist. There's no protest from the boy himself. The boy is still looking curiously at the surgeon. His eyes show insight. The surgeon finally turns around. I look at his face. But he has no face. There's only…emptiness._

_The music is still playing. The surgeon pulls out a remote. He pushes the singular button. I feel a tingling sensation. A explosion of electricity from the belt. A scream from the boy. The boy's body spazzes against the restraints. The surgeon in the meantime is busy looking at his watch. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. He releases the button. The electricity to the belt stops. The boy twitches a few more times, then settles down. He's panting now. He gasping for breath. He glares at the surgeon. It's a look of contempt. "Is that the best you can do?" he spits out. The boy is full of bravado. But I can feel the fear. I don't know how. I can just sense the instinct creeping in. "Stop!" I yell. But neither the boy nor the surgeon hears me. The surgeon still doesn't say a word. He's busy recording the readings. He checks his watch. Then checks the boy. Then checks his clipboard. _

_I can feel myself become frustrated. Oh how I want to punch the surgeon. To knock him out. But I'm trapped. An observer. The minutes tick by. No one save me is talking. And I can't be heard. Ten minutes. The surgeon puts down the clipboard. He picks up the remote. Instantly, the boy tenses. He eyes the surgeon warily._

_ The surgeon once again presses the button. The crackle of electricity. Rippling, ripping, through the boy's body. EKG and EEG spike wildly as the current dissipates. The blood pressure reads 200/120. The pulse jumps to 180. The surgeon waits. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. The electricity stops. The vitals return to normal. The boy uses all his strength to breathe and stay conscious. He looks at the surgeon. His eyes are only half open. He's not talking anymore._

_I suddenly feel a deep pit in my heart. How I want to help the boy! But I cannot. "Stop!" I yell "Stop! Stop! Stop!" No avail. The surgeon is reaching for the remote again. I'm splitting in two. Anger and Fear. "Leave him alone!" I yell. My cry is lost in the boy's screams._

* * *

Conan bolted to a sitting position, perhaps too quickly as he swooned, suddenly become extremely lightheaded; his heart was beating a bit faster than normal. The nightmare had jolted him out of his slumber, perhaps because it had felt so real, so vivid. Reflexively, Conan lifted his shirt and looked down at his chest and waist, searching for any signs of the electric shocks. Not that there would be any signs, but then, Conan wasn't really looking. His hands were moving by themselves, his mind busy thinking about other matters.

Who was the boy that looked identical to him? And why was the boy invading his dream? Was Conan projecting, viewing himself in third person? It could happen. But why had it happened? Conan didn't really believe in dream analysis, that had been Freud's big thing, but the dream had been particularly disturbing. Normally, Conan didn't have dreams of himself being tortured. Even the nightmares he had after being shrunk by the men in black, nightmares of his identity being discovered, hadn't unsettled him so.

Conan looked around the room, Kogoro still snoring next to him. A glance at the clock showed 4 AM. It was Monday so there would be school in a couple of hours. _I should probably get some more sleep, _Conan thought, lying back down on the futon. His eyes drifted around, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The details of the dream were quickly slipping away, evaporating into the far reaches of his mind. But the boy's screams still echoed in his ears and the image of the boy's spazzing body lingered. What were they doing to him? Electroconvulsive therapy? Did the boy have some mental illness? He had seemed fairly sharp though. And besides, ECT was shunned in all psychological circles. Who would subject a child to ECT? _Wait,_ Conan thought, slowing down. It was just a dream, a bad dream, but a dream nonetheless. Why did it have to make logical sense? There was no reason to analyze the dream, no reason to attempt to deduce a conclusion from it. _Force of habit__, I guess, _Conan thought silently.

Conan closed his eyes, trying to put the matter out of mind and go back to sleep. But the image of the boy's twitching body, a body so like his own, flickered in his visual field. Conan opened his eyes, once again staring at the empty ceiling.

On the wall, the clock slowly ticked by.

* * *

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi chirped, running up to the boy's desk as class ended for the day.

"Ah, Ayumi-chan," Conan greeted as he finished packing his backpack, ready to go home.

"Ne ne, Conan-kun," Ayumi said, "Did you hear about the haunted house?"

"Haunted house?" Conan asked, stifling a yawn. He had ended up staying awake all night, which would have been fine if he was in his normal body. But his seven year old body wasn't too happy about the lack of sleep; it had taken a great deal of effort to avoid passing out during class.

"Ya, Conan," Genta chimed in, appearing next to Conan, "It's supposed to be haunted!"

Conan was about to point out that he gathered as much from the phrase _haunted house_ but Mitsuhiko interrupted, "People say that all kinds of weird things happen at that house!"

"Uh-huh," Conan said, still not particularly interested. All he wanted to do was go back to the agency and take a nap.

"We should investigate, Conan-kun," Ayumi suggested.

"Ya, we are the Shonen Tantei after all," Genta added. Conan just groaned; he really wasn't up for it today.

"Ai-chan needs to come too," Ayumi said, turning her attention to Haibara, who had been silent until now.

"Sorry, you guys. Hakase's asked me to help out with something. But I'm sure Edogawa-kun would be happy to accompany you," Haibara said, giving Conan a smirk.  
"Oi," Conan said with his eyes, looking at Haibara. Haibara just pretended not to notice, instead saying, "I'll see you three tomorrow. Bye." With a wave, Haibara was gone.

"Is Haibara-san alright?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Maybe she still has a cold?" Genta suggested.

_No_, _it's not that. She's been dodgy ever since last week_, Conan thought silently, looking at the door that Haibara had just left through_. And it probably has to do with that guy_. But Conan's thoughts were interrupted by the Shonen Tantei.

"So, let's go, Conan!" Genta yelled.

"Eh? Where?" Conan asked, distracted.

"The haunted house!" Ayumi said.

"Like I said you guys, I'm not really interested," Conan repeated, picking up his back and about to leave.

"But don't you want to know about all the weird noises?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"What weird noises?" Conan asked, just to humor the boy.

"Supposedly, there would always be the sound of drums banging, followed by a low howl. And the noise would happen several times during the night. Freaky, ne?" Mitsuhiko replied. _Banging followed by a howl? _Conan thought silently. _Wait, that could be…_

"Where did you say this haunted house was?" Conan asked.

* * *

"Here you go, Hakuba-kun," the woman said, dropping another stack of manila folders onto the desk, "That's all of them."

"All of these, Tami-san?" Hakuba asked, eyeing the stacks. There must have been two, no, three hundred folders. Sleeping Kogoro sure was a busy person.

"Yep, these are all cases solved by Sleeping Kogoro. Are you a fan of his by chance?" Tami asked.

"Something like that," Hakuba replied, giving the woman a smile.

"He's pretty amazing, isn't he?" Tami asked.

"So I've heard," Hakuba replied, letting the conversation end there.

Tami looked at Hakuba but, without anything else to talk about, started to leave. "Let me know if you need anything else, alright?"

Hakuba nodded, "Thank you, Tami-san." Tami smiled and left, leaving Hakuba alone in the evidence room with a mountain of cases in front of him. "Well, this is probably going to take all night," Hakuba said to himself as he pulled up a chair. He picked up the first folder on the stack. "Case J151996: Company President's Daughter Kidnapping ," Hakuba read.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Fairly straightforward chapter. Poor Conan has a nightmare =[ What is the mystery of the haunted house? Why is there banging and howling?

If you have an questions, please remember to post them in the reviews! I'll be doing a deduction show soon! Review/follow if you enjoyed the story!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	20. Arc Three: Your Name Is

The answer to the riddle in Chapter 18 is: **Spring**! Here's a breakdown of the riddle.

Of my sisters (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter), I have the fairest face (Spring is the youngest, and typically considered the most beautiful of the seasons)  
And it is I who shields Hera from cold's embrace (ie. Protects Hera, goddess of heaven/sky, from cold's embrace, that is, winter; spring is the end of winter).  
My motions simple physics confirm, (Pun on the word "spring", where spring= season and spring= thing with coils; motion is described by the physics equation F=-kx)  
Is of cycles, a term, a term (two terms k and x in equation, but also cycles in that spring comes once a year, every year)  
Finally, some say a shape shifter I am.  
For sometimes I am a lion, and sometime a lamb. (Reference to expression: March comes in like a lion, out like a lamb)  
What am I?

The season **Spring**.

* * *

"This is the haunted house?" Conan asked, looking around. They had ended up somewhere near the post office, in front of an abandoned old building. Though the building certainly didn't look haunted. _Where are the broken windows, the creaking trees, the evil laughter?_ Conan thought sarcastically. The house just looked old, with nothing to indicate it was haunted.

"Yah! Let's go, Conan!" Genta yelled, charging ahead. Ayumi and Mitsuhiko were in close pursuit.

"Oi, wait," Conan said, but to no avail as the three kids ran off ahead. With a sigh, Conan went off after them. By the time Conan had caught up, the three Shonen Tantei were standing in front of the door, inspecting it as if for some great mystery.

"Hurry up, Conan," Genta pressed before reaching a hand for the doorknob. Genta fiddled with it a bit before saying, "Che, it's locked."

"Well, that does make sense. The landlord probably doesn't want people squatting in the house," Conan said.

"Squatting?" Ayumi asked. But before Conan could answer, the door suddenly opened by itself, making a creaking noise as it did so.

"I-it just opened by itself!" Genta exclaimed.

"Are you sure you weren't just turning the knob the wrong way before?" Conan asked, face palming.

"Hahaha, maybe," Genta replied. "Anyways, let's go!" he yelled, pointing inside the house.

"Oy!" Ayumi and Mitsuhiko agreed, stampeding into the house.

"Oi, you guys-" Conan started, trying to warn them that trespassing was bad, but they were already inside. With yet another sigh, Conan entered after them.

The inside of the house was fairly unremarkable. Aside from the large amounts of dust gathered, it looked as any house would. "Ne, how long has the banging and howling been going on?" Conan asked as he approached the Shonen Tantei. They were busy looking at a painting on the wall.

"Two or three days now," Mitsuhiko answered, still looking at the painting. "What do you think it's supposed to be?" he asked, referring to the painting.

"It looks like a toilet," Genta replied.

"But why would anyone paint a toilet?" Ayumi asked.

"It's modern art," Conan explained, but a sudden sound drew his attention. It was a faint scratching noise, coming from the second floor. Conan started making his way to the stairs.

"What is it, Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked, following behind the little detective.

"Shhh," Conan instructed, putting a finger to his lips. He slowly crept up the stairs to the second floor; the staircases brought him to a hallway, several doors on either side. The noise had stopped, but Conan was sure it had come from one of the rooms.

"Is someone here?" Mitsuhiko whispered, coming up from behind.

"A g-ghost?" Genta stuttered.

"There's no such thing as ghosts. Right, Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked, though sounding a little doubtful of her own words. Conan didn't answer, instead focused on listening for the smallest of noises. Still, nothing though.

"Ne, you don't think it's murderer that's been trapped in one of the rooms, do you?" Mitsuhiko asked, suddenly scared.

"A murderer?!" Genta and Ayumi exclaimed, scaring themselves.

"Not a murderer," Conan finally said, still glancing around. "It's probably a-" Conan started, but paused, thinking of an idea.

"A what, Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked.

"How about I show you guys?" Conan said with a smile.

"Huh?" the Shonen Tantei asked, confused. Conan got down on his knees and began crawling through the hallway, all the while whistling. Occasionally, he would stop and clap his hands, then proceed down the hall.

"What's he doing?" Genta asked, but Mitsuhiko just shrugged.

While the Shonen Tantei were looking on, confused, Conan was busy listening for any noises. He suddenly stopped as a faint scratching noise caught his ear. Conan stood up, pleased with his results. He reached for the doorknob to the room where the noise had come from and pushed open the door. An object leaped out from inside and jumped into his arms.

"A puppy!" Ayumi chirped.

* * *

"So the banging and howling were from the puppy?" Mitsuhiko asked, looking at the ball of fur in Conan's arms.

"Yep. This pup must have gotten trapped in the room somehow and couldn't get out. So it could only run into the door and making barking noises. But because of the way the windows were designed, the sound came out as howling noises," Conan explained as he walked along, heading for the pound. The pup didn't have a collar, which meant that it was probably a stray. Bringing it to the pound was the best course of action.

"It's so cute!" Ayumi chirped as she rubbed her hand over the puppy's downy soft coat. The puppy was a Siberian Husky, and an almost albino one at that. Its fur was almost completely white, with only two black circles of fur around its eyes. "Do you think it's hungry?"

"Probably, if it's been trapped in that house for two or three days," Conan said, looking down at the puppy. The puppy looked back up at him with, well, puppy eyes. "Anyways, it's best if we let the pound take care of it."

"So I guess the house wasn't haunted after all," Mitsuhiko said, sounding disappointed.

"I told you it wouldn't be," Conan said flatly. He was about to add something else, but he suddenly felt the puppy struggling in his arms. "What's wrong?" Conan asked, looking down; not that the puppy could understand him. Without warning, the puppy managed to get loose and jump out of Conan's arms, landing gracefully onto the pavement. Before Conan had a chance to react, the puppy scurried off down a side alley.

"Ah, it's running away!" Genta said, again pointing out the obvious. The four children chased down the alley, but by the time they had reached the end, the puppy was nowhere to be seen.

_What was that all about?_ Conan thought silently.

* * *

"Tadaima, Ran-neechan!" Conan called as he walked through the door. He had parted ways with the rest of the Shonen Tantei after their failed attempt to locate the puppy and made his way back to the agency.

"Okaeri, Conan-kun. Look what I found outside," Ran said, busy playing with something on the floor.

_Oi, oi_, Conan thought as he saw what Ran was playing with. It was the puppy from before. But not just that, there was another puppy now, one Conan hadn't seen before. It looked almost the exact opposite of the first puppy, black fur with a ring of white around the eyes.

"Aren't they cute?" Ran asked, scratching the white one's belly. The black one whined, as if it wanted its belly scratched too. Ran was all but happy to oblige.

_What's going on?_ Conan thought silently. Was it a coincidence the puppy had ended up here after it ran away? And this other puppy, were the two related? Conan was increasingly wary of coincidences, given what had happened with the Black Organization just last week. _Wait, _Conan thought. Could the Black Organization be involved somehow? Conan shook his head. What was he saying? Why in the world would the Black Organization have anything to do with this? Maybe he was still reeling from the lack of sleep.

A noise at the door signaled Kogoro's return. "Ran, I'm back," Kogoro said, then paused as he eyed the two puppies on the floor. "What are these?" Kogoro asked.

"I found these two puppies outside," Ran replied.

"We're not keeping them," Kogoro said immediately. Ran pouted, upset that her father hadn't even given her the chance to ask.

"We should bring them to the pound," Conan suggested.

"I guess you're right, Conan-kun," Ran said, picking up the white puppy. Conan picked up the black one and together, they once again made their way to the pound.

* * *

"Do you think they're related?" Ran asked as she walked alongside Conan.

"Maybe," Conan replied, "They do look kind of similar."

"They do, don't they? Kind of like opposites," Ran said, "And yet they're related. Funny how that works, right?"

"What do you mean?" Conan asked, confused.

"Ah, nothing," Ran quickly covered up, laughing nervously. Conan looked at the girl, trying to read her. Something was definitely up with Ran. Ever since she came back from New York, she'd been acting strangely. For example, there had been that phone call she supposedly made to Shinichi's cellphone. But when Conan checked his phone later, his voice-mail showed no messages. Had Ran just called the wrong number, or was there some ulterior motive for the phone call?

Before he could think anymore about the issue, Conan was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a familiar struggling in his arms. Before he had a chance to react, the puppy managed to weasel its way out again, slipping onto the pavement. A glance over at Ran showed that her puppy had gotten free as well. Ran and Conan gave chase, but in ten minutes' time, the puppies were no where to be seen.

Conan sighed as he stopped running, still panting from the chase. Once, alright. But twice? Now things were suspicious.

* * *

And of course they would be there. The two puppies that is.

As Conan and Ran returned to the agency, they noticed the two pups at the bottom of the stairs, as if obediently waiting for their master to return. Conan's eyes instantly narrowed, eyeing the puppies suspiciously. Somewhere in his mind, he had expected the puppies to double again, making four puppies this time. At least that didn't happen.

"I guess they really want to stay here," Ran concluded, looking at the puppies.

"Yeah," Conan managed. Was that all there was to it? Had the puppies really just used his scent to find the agency? Was their apparent loyalty just a product of gratitude, for rescuing the puppy from the haunted house? Or was there something more? _Baro_, Conan said, stopping himself. What more could there be? They were puppies for goodness sake, not the spawn of the devil.

"I'll go see if Otousan will let us keep them," Ran said, walking past the puppies and up the stairs.

Conan continued to look at the puppies and they continued to look back at him. Finally, Conan got down and gave each a pat on the head, his suspicions on hold for the moment. The wagging tails showed that the pups were obviously enjoying the attention. Conan just sighed. Maybe he was over-thinking things. He attributed his sudden caution to the encounter with the Black Organization and his lack of sleep.

Slowly, Conan's frown turned into a smile. As he stood up, the pups got onto all fours, ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. Conan made his way up the stairs, the pups following him at the heels. At the top of the stairs, Conan paused before entering the agency. "Ah, that's right. We need to give you two names, don't we?" Conan said to the pups. The puppies looked back at Conan curiously. "Hm, how about we'll call you _," Conan said, picking up the white puppy. "How does that sound?" Conan asked. The puppy barked as if in assent. "And we'll call you _," Conan said, this time picking up the black puppy. _ and _. _It'll work_, Conan thought, as he made his way inside.

* * *

**The Next Day**

* * *

"Bocchama, bocchama," a voice called out, accompanied by a nudging on his shoulder. Slowly, Hakuba opened his eyes, a bit dazed and disoriented.

"Baaya?" Hakuba asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked around, stacks of folders towering over him. Right. He was still in the evidence room. Had he been here all night? He must have fallen asleep at some point.

"Bocchama, shall we get you home? It's already morning," the old lady said softly.

"Morning?" Hakuba asked, "What time is it now?"

"7 AM," Baaya informed. Which meant that school would start in half an hour. Hakuba resisted a groan. Despite having been at the police station all night, he had only managed to go through less than half the cases. And so far, he didn't find anything particularly helpful. Most of the cases had followed the same pattern: a murder occurs, Sleeping Kogoro happens to be there, and after fooling around for a bit, the mustached detective brilliantly solves the case. There were no hints about that boy, Edogawa Conan, and whether he was actually Kudo Shinichi. All Hakuba managed to gather was that Conan was an extremely bright child, but that wasn't evidence of some odd transformation having taken place. Hakuba thought back to the night at the museum, beginning to wonder if he had just dreamed the whole thing. "Bocchama?" the old lady asked again when Hakuba hadn't answered.

"Huh?" Hakuba said, still lost in his thoughts.

"Shall we go home?"

"Y-yes," Hakuba managed, standing up out of the chair. His legs felt cramped after sitting for so long and the prospect of sitting for another eight hours in school was not a particularly pleasant one.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Hakuba said as he entered the classroom, taking his seat towards the front of the room.

_Now that's unusual_, Kaito thought, eyeing the teen. Hakuba was rarely late; if anything, the detective tended to be early. He was a stickler for punctuality after all, unlike some playful magician. But then, Kaito didn't really consider it being "late" per se, more like being "unexpected". The magician-thief loved the unexpected; perhaps that was why he was so drawn to magic. The wonder of the thing, the curiosity of it was so very alluring for Kaito; the stranger, the better. And oddly enough, had he not been more inclined to mischief, Kaito might have found an interest in detective work. But alas, being a detective was much too restrictive to Kaito's free-roaming soul.

Magician it was then, Kaito mused, looking out the window. The teacher had begun the lecture, but Kaito wasn't paying attention. He was instead thinking about what he had once said with regards to detectives and thieves, how a thief was a creative artist who takes his prey in style while a detective is nothing more than a critic, who follows in the thief's footsteps. Kaito wondered how his favorite little critic was doing; a bemused look crossed the teen's face. _I wonder if Tantei-kun is enjoying the present I left him_.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Hey guys, hope I didn't kill you on the riddle xP And now Conan has a pair of puppies =D Is there some secret behind them? Who knows. But, they do need a name. **So if you guys have any clever ideas for the puppies' names, let me know in the reviews.** Remember, they're a pair, so there should be some realtionship between the two names. If you guys don't tell me, I'll just have to use the lame ones that I made up xP

I was thinking Yin/Yang or Dusk/Dawn. But, I'd much rather use one that you guys come up with =P So let me know in the reviews!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	21. Arc Three: Watson and Holmes

Disclaimer: Don't own DC.

* * *

"What are you doing, Conan-kun?" Ran asked curiously. It was three in the afternoon and the two of them were busy walking home from school.

"It's a game," Conan replied, both arms extended as he attempted to balance on the curb. Though it was a rather stupid game, it was a popular one amongst the kids at his school; Conan hoped it'd remind Ran of his status as a child. "I'm trying to stay on the curb as long as possible," Conan elaborated, without looking away from his feet.

Ever since she returned from New York, Conan could sense Ran was acting strangely. She'd drop remarks only to quickly cover them up. She'd leave the agency without saying where she was going. And a couple of times, Conan would walk in on Ran using the computer, only to find her staring at the blank page of a search engine. If Conan had to hazard a guess, he'd say Ran's strange behavior was an outgrowth of her suspicion about his identity as Shinichi, a suspicion that was perhaps stronger now than before she went to New York. But Ran's suspicion wasn't what bothered Conan; after all, a year of pretending to be a child while living with his childhood friend had lent itself to plenty of occasions where Ran almost discovered his identity: when he helped discover who kidnapped a surgeon's son, or when he had been shot, or when he forgotten his phone on the table. No, what bothered Conan wasn't Ran's suspicion per se, but the sudden clandestine nature of it.

Normally, whenever Ran became suspicious, she would outright confront him, accuse him of being Shinichi. And while those occasions would always make his heart skip a few beats, they were manageable; he could find some way out of them. But this was different. There was no blunt confrontation this time. In fact, Ran seemed to be going out of her way to make Conan believe she was ignorant of the whole matter. And that was troubling for Conan. Conan suspected Ran suspected, but he couldn't be sure. It forced him to constantly be on guard and simultaneously not, lest he tried too hard to conceal his identity and in the process revealed it. He was walking on the edge at the moment, literally and figuratively.

"Occhan's taking care of Watson and Holmes?" Conan asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, Otousan agreed to take care of them while we were at school," Ran replied, with _them_, of course, referring to the pair of Siberian Huskies that had mysterious appeared at the doorsteps of the agency yesterday.

While the arrival of the pups had certainly been a curious event, what with the pups' strange behaviors and uncanny knowledge of the agency's location, Conan had ultimately decided to take the event at face value. After all, what devious plot could hinge on the adoption of two puppies? In setting his suspicions aside, Conan had even named the two pups, calling the albino one, Watson, and the black one, Holmes, naturally, after two of his favorite fictional characters. Reflecting back, the names seemed oddly fitting; he, who had borrowed Sir Conan Doyle's namesake, was now also borrowing the names of the author's characters.

_Watson and Holmes_, Conan said to himself. While Conan had given up his suspicions of the puppies' origins, he still suspected that leaving Occhan alone with the puppies for an entire morning had been a terrible idea.

"Isn't it great, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, pulling Conan away from his own thoughts.

"What is, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked, jumping down from the curb onto the street.

"With Watson and Holmes, it's like our family has grown bigger," Ran said, giving Conan a smile.

"Un," Conan agreed, returning the smile. Inside though, Conan was not nearly as enthused as Ran about keeping the puppies. It wasn't that Conan hated the prospect of having puppies (that'd be inhumane), it was just some reservations that prevented Conan from fully embracing the idea. For one, a small apartment, such as theirs, was probably not the most suitable environment for raising Siberian Huskies. Huskies needed tons of space for daily activities and running around. For another, the Shonen Tantei had vowed to visit daily to play with the pups. While that may have been his own fault, as Conan had promised the Shonen Tantei they could come over any time to play with the pups in an effort to curb the complaints that it wasn't fair for Conan to keep the pups all to himself when it had been a "team effort" that rescued Watson, the prospect of the Shonen Tantei coming over every day was a bit unsettling. Sure, the occasional, or more than occasional, outing with the Shonen Tantei was enjoyable in most regards, Conan found the children lively enough and he was never one to pass up an opportunity to display his wealth of knowledge about random things, but every day would have been, well, a tad too much for the little detective.

"I'm surprised you managed to convince Occhan to let us keep the puppies though," Conan point out, this time voluntarily breaking out of his own musings.

"Oh, that was Sonoko. She told Otousan how much women love puppies," Ran explained.

"Haha," Conan laughed sarcastically. _Of course that would work on Occhan_.

Before long, Conan and Ran arrived back home at the agency.

"Tadaima," Conan and Ran both said as they entered. There was no usual _okaeri_, however. Instead, Kogoro was running around the living room, a broom in hand.

"Come back here, you mangy mutt!" Kogoro was yelling.

"Otousan, what happened?" Ran asked, noticing her father's erratic behavior.

Conan made a quick glance around and sighed as situation became immediately apparent. It was just as he feared, though somehow, being right didn't make him feel any better.

To put it bluntly, a hurricane had hit the agency. Papers were strewn all over the place. Tables were knocked over. The couch was ripped open, with the inside foam shredded and scattered across the floor. Puddles of- well Conan didn't really want to think about it- were present in various places around the house. And there was a potato stuck to the ceiling- which was a bit random.

The hurricane, of course, was none other than Watson and Holmes.

"Ran! We're getting rid of those dogs!" Kogoro yelled, still in pursuit of the puppy pair. The puppies ran towards Conan and hid behind him, evidently scared of the raging maniac with the broom.

"Put the broom down, Otousan," Ran commanded, causing Kogoro to halt.

"Ran, those dogs are savages!" Kogoro cried out, panting from exertion.

"How can you say that, Otousan?!" Ran countered, "They just need time to be trained. And besides, we already tried bringing them to the pound, but they keep coming back here."

"I don't ca-!" Kogoro started but paused as Ran suddenly picked Watson up off the ground, holding it in front of her father. Watson and Kogoro were staring at each other, the former emitting a whimpering sound.

"We're no-!" Kogoro tried, suddenly unable to finish his sentences. Watson, on the other hand, was still staring, big round puppy eyes glued to Kogoro.

"There's no way-!" Kogoro started once more, before more whimpering from Watson gave him pause.

"Fine!" Kogoro exclaimed at last, throwing his arms up in submission, "We'll keep them for now, Ran. But if they make any more trouble, I'm kicking them out." Kogoro made a huffing noise and turned away, broom still in hand.

"Shall we clean up, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, putting Watson back on the floor as she turned to the boy and smiled.

"Okay, Ran-neechan," Conan replied with mock excitement as he glanced around at the mess that was the agency. He looked again at the puppies, beginning to wonder if they were more trouble than they were worth.

* * *

"Dinner's ready, Conan-kun!" Ran called from the kitchen.

"I'll be right there!" Conan replied, putting down the book he was reading: The Hounds of Baskerville. Conan turned off his reading lamp and got up from the futon, making his way into the living room. Kogoro was already sitting there, reading a newspaper. Holmes and Watson were in a corner, lying idly on the floor.

As Ran brought in the food, the smell caused Conan's stomach to rumble in delight. It was curry, his favorite. The smell must have excited the pups too, as Holmes scurried over, leaping onto the table and diving into Conan's bowl of curry, just as Ran finished pouring it.

"Hey!" Conan called out, annoyed at the pup. He had been looking forward to the curry, which obviously was now inedible. Holmes' messy face just barked back at him, a piece of curry dropping from the pup's mouth onto the table. Or was that saliva. Conan just sighed.

"Kora!" Kogoro called, pulling Holmes off the table, "Ran, I told you that if this dog made any more trouble-" But before Kogoro could even finish his sentence, a sudden trickling noise could be heard, causing Kogoro's pants to become rather moist. Surprised, Kogoro cried out, throwing Holmes away from himself and across the table.

Conan managed to catch the pup as it came flying towards him, followed by some rather unpleasant fluids, which got all over his clothes. The food on the table, needless to say, was also soiled and inedible.

"Ran, we're getting rid of those dogs!" Kogoro was yelling, trying to wipe himself down with a napkin. It took several more puppy eyes from Watson and Ran claiming that Kogoro had scared Holmes into relieving itself to finally convince Kogoro to let the puppies stay. "One more chance! That's it!"

Conan sighed yet again. _Occhan's hopeless_, Conan mused, looking down at Holmes, who was still in his hands. "You're the troublemaker of the two, aren't you?" Conan whispered to the pup. Holmes just looked curiously back at Conan and let out a bark.

* * *

Ultimately, they ended up having cup noodles for dinner, which, while not particularly satisfying, was better than nothing. _Still, curry would have been nice_, Conan thought as he laid back down on his futon and turned on his reading lamp. He propped himself up by the elbows and cracked open _The Hounds of Baskerville_. _Maybe we should try bringing the puppies to the pound again tomorrow_, Conan thought as his eyes stared blankly at the page. He didn't really want the agency to be struck by daily hurricanes. _On the other hand, _Conan mused, if he kept the pups around, he could have his own hounds of Baskerville. The idea made Conan smirk.

A sudden pitter patter of footsteps drew Conan's attention away from his book; it was Watson and Holmes. The two pups came dashing into the room and piled onto Conan, covering the boy in licks.

"Haha, that tickles," Conan laughed, looking at the two puppies in front of him. They both looked back with big round eyes. "You want to hear a story?" Conan asked, the idea coming to mind when he looked at the book still in his hands. The puppies both barked, as if understanding. Conan couldn't help but grin, and put one pup on each side, Watson on his left, Holmes on his right, and started reading _The Hounds of Baskerville _aloud. Conan read with more than his usual excitement for Sherlock stories because, while the stories were great when read alone, they were even better when enjoyed with others. Even if the _others_ didn't really understand what he was saying.

A couple of pages in, Conan could hear soft breathing coming from both sides, indicating that Watson and Holmes had both fallen asleep. Conan wasn't sure why, but he just felt like he had to smile. Perhaps it was the reflexive smile that a sleeping puppy inevitably draws out.

_Maybe they can stick around a little longer_, Conan thought as he reached for the reading light and turned it off. Slowly, Conan drifted to sleep, snuggled between the two pups.

* * *

"Tadaima," Conan said, returning home from school. He shook the water off his umbrella; it had been raining outside.

"Conan! Get these mutts under control!" Kogoro yelled, broom once again in hand as he chased the pups around the house.

"Haha," Conan laughed sarcastically, thinking back to yesterday night, "Maybe they won't be around for much longer." The house was once again hit by the hurricane that was Watson and Holmes (though Conan suspected it was primarily Holmes). _Maybe some cages will help_, Conan thought, sighing in resignation.

* * *

"Was this part of your plan, Otousan?"

"The puppies? No. But it is an interesting development. Don't you think?"

"As long as it doesn't stop me from getting what I want. Ah, sorry. That was rather cavalier of me."

"Think nothing of it. I have always been a firm believer in the value of emotions. At any rate, I have a new task for you."

* * *

"Cages, dog food, collars, leashes, toys," Ran said, listing off the things they were going to buy at the pet store. "Anything else that I missed, Conan-kun?"

"Bath supplies," Conan replied, looking down at Watson in his arms, "They both could probably use a bath. We should also schedule an appointment with a veterinarian to make sure they have all the proper vaccinations." Then remembering that he was supposed to be an oblivious first grader, Conan quickly added a "Ne, Occhan?" Kogoro just grunted, apparently exhausted after caring for the pups two days straight.

The three people, and two puppies, walked in silence for a bit, slowly heading towards the pet store. The sun was just beginning to set, being about six in the evening. The rain had stopped about two hours ago and now the sky was pink. Cars were zooming by on their left, in a rush to get home for dinner. On their right, a three-story apartment complex stood, the kind that had a veranda on each floor, giving access to every room from the outside. A staircase to the right of the building connected each floor.

As Conan glanced over at the building, he noticed several people, three to be exact, on the second floor, standing in front of one of the doors. _Are they waiting for someone?_ Conan wondered. He was about to look away, losing interest, when suddenly, a man in the group began ramming his shoulders into the door. _A break-in?_ Conan thought, halting in his steps. Conan turned to Kogoro, about to alert the man to the situation, when a sudden scream pierced the evening air. Conan whipped his head around and saw that the door had been smashed open. The woman of the group- the other two being men- was leaning back into the railing of the second floor, screaming about something.

At this point, Kogoro and Ran had both heard the scream and turned their attention to the apartment. Conan, though, was already sprinting towards the building and up the stairs to the second floor. Upon arriving, Conan managed to squeeze his way past the shocked onlookers, gaining a view of the apartment interior. Inside, and directly in front, a man was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He was very much dead, a giant gash wound on the back of his head indicating that someone had smashed his head in with a blunt object. Instantly, Conan's eyes darted to the three people standing at the door.

Was one of these three responsible?

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Hi guys, so I have good news and bad news. I'll say the bad news first (well maybe not bad news; you can decide):

I've done quite a bit of planning for the rest of the story and I can say that in about 28 chapters (give or take), there will be **two character deaths.** I saying this now so that you guys won't freak out when it happens and say "OMG! You killed _!" So, this warning is well in advance. Also, I just wanted to remind you guys that this is a comedy in the original sense of the word, that is, there will (ultimately) be a happy ending. So you guys will just have to trust that I eventually make things work out =] As to why I am adding character deaths, it's because there needs to be things at stake, given the magnitude of the plot I have in mind. Well, you guys will see soon enough. Anyways, we're only on chapter 21, so there's a long ways to go. One last thing that I will say, however, is that you guys should **count the number of deaths very closely (hint hint)**; I think you'll find out something interesting if you do.

Onto the good news. Wasn't this a happy/feel-good chapter? Also, I've decided upon Watson and Holmes for the puppy names! Thanks for all the great suggestions, but as oldspacecadet3 points out, Watson and Holmes are a rather fitting name choice for Conan. crimsonskyr's idea of using soccer related names was also pretty good. But ultimately, Watson and Holmes fits really well into what I have planned for the pups. **(Hint Hint) There is a reason why Watson is the white pup and Holmes is the black pup.**

As for this chapter, well, what would DC be without a murder happening? Anyways, I also have a nice surprise planned for the next chapter, so keep an eye out!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	22. Arc Three: I Have an Alibi!

Disclaimer: Don't Own DC.

**See surprise at end of story.**

* * *

"Keibu-dono!" Kogoro called out, waving to the burly inspector as he arrived on the scene.

"Mouri-kun!" Megure greeted, looking surprised. Then again, Megure wasn't sure why he was surprised anymore; Kogoro was a shinigami, god of death, after all. "So, what are you doing here?" Megure asked, more for the sake of asking than anything else.

"We were walking to the pet store when we heard a scream," Conan interjected, drawing the inspector's attention.

"Ah, I see," Megure replied in a deadpan voice; the fact that a seven-year-old was allowed at the scene of a murder had long since escaped the inspector's notice.

"Conan-kun!" a female voice suddenly called, causing Conan to turn his head. It was Sato.

"Sato-keiji," Conan greeted with a smile.

Sato knelt down to Conan's eye-level. "Aw, that's a cute puppy you have there," she said, pointing to the puppy in Conan's arms. "What's its name?"

"Watson," Conan replied.

Sato gave the puppy a pat on the head and Watson barked joyfully in response. Sato smiled at that. "By the way, Conan-kun," Sato said, now scratching behind Watson's ear, "are you alright? I heard you took a nasty fall off a swing set a couple of weeks ago."

"Eh?" Conan replied, confused. "Swing set?"

"Wasn't it a swing set?" Sato asked, a looking of wonder crossing her face, "Takagi-kun told me you even got a concussion and had to be hospitalized."

"Oh, that!" Conan said, as if suddenly remembering, "I'm fine now! Thank you for asking, Sato-keiji!" Conan gave the officer a reassuring smile. Sato smiled back and that seemed to end the issue. Sato gave Watson one more pat on the head before standing up and walking over to Megure to informing him about the situation at the apartment.

Conan watched the officer walk away and then turned his gaze to Ran. She was busy talking with Kogoro about something. _Ran_, Conan thought, suddenly realizing he had miscalculated.

The night he had returned to the agency after being kidnapped, Conan had lied to Ran and said he had called the police and informed them about the kidnapping. It was a lie because he hadn't actually told the police; he hadn't wanted their involvement quite yet. But for some reason, he had thought then that telling Ran he contacted the police was a good idea, perhaps in an effort to comfort her.

Now though, Conan realized that the lie was a mistake. He hadn't expected Ran to have already called Takagi to inform the officer of his disappearance; maybe he should have, but he wasn't thinking straight then. And given that Takagi and Ran were in contact about his disappearance, it would become obvious that Conan lied about calling the police. What was strange though, was that Ran knew he lied and yet hadn't mentioned it. Instead, she had lied herself, claiming that he had fallen off a swing set. The question was why; why would she lie for him?

"How long are you going to detain us here?" a male voice yelled, drawing Conan away. It was one of the three people who had broken into the apartment.

"Well, you see," one of the officers was trying to explain.

"What's going on?" Megure asked, turning his attention from Sato to the three people standing by the doorway.

"Keibu, these are the three suspects-" the officer began, but one of the three cut him off.

"Suspects? What are you suspecting us of?" the man demanded.

"Ma ma, let's slow down. We're not accusing anyone of anything yet," Megure said, trying to placate the angry man, "How about you three tell us your names first and what you were doing at this apartment today."

"Hmph," the man replied before conceding, "Name's Izumi Toshi. And this is Miyagi Ryu and Kihara Aya." Toshi pointed to the other man and the woman respectively.

**Suspects**  
**- Izumi Toshi, Blood Type O, Age 37, Unmarried**  
**- Miyagi Ryu, Blood Type B, Age 40, Unmarried**  
**- Kihara Aya, Blood Type A, Age 34, Unmarried**

"I see, and what were you three doing at this apartment?" Megure asked.

"We came to see Yamamoto-san," Ryu explained, referring to the victim.

"And what is your relationship to Yamamoto-san?" Sato asked, joining the conversation.

"They're co-workers," Conan said, drawing the attention of all the adults, "See the logo on their shirts?" Conan pointed to a small blue circle filled with red. "It's the same as the one on the cups in the apartment. It belongs to Capsule Corp, an upstart technology company," Conan explained.

"Inspector, who is this child?" Aya asked, surprised by the child.

"Ah, that's-" the inspector tried to explain but Kogoro interrupted.

"Kora!" Kogoro yelled, running over and drill punching Conan on the head, "I told you not to meddle with police investigations!"

"Itai!" Conan cried out, dropping Watson in surprise. The pup landed on the ground and instantly dashed forward, chomping down on Kogoro's leg.

"Gah! This mut!" Kogoro exclaimed, shaking his leg and trying to kick Watson off.

_Karma_, Conan thought, still rubbing his head. Kogoro was frantically running around, trying to get Watson off his leg; the pup, though, didn't seem ready to let go anytime soon.

"Mouri-kun," Megure grumbled, obviously annoyed, "civilians, children, animals-" Megure paused when it was obvious that Kogoro was not listening; his eyebrow twitched. "Mouri-kun! This is a crime scene, not an amusement park!" the inspector yelled, causing Kogoro to finally stop flailing around. "Get the animals out of here!"

"Sorry, Megure-keibu!" Ran apologized upon hearing the yelling. She ran over and pulled Watson off her father's leg, holding the pup in her right arm while Holmes was still in her left. "Otousan, I'm going to head to the pet store first, alright?" Ran said, walking down the stairs. Kogoro just grunted, still rubbing his leg.

_Ran just let me stay at the crime scene?_ Conan thought, eyes narrowing. Normally, Ran would always try to pull him away. But this time, nothing? Conan didn't get to think more about it, as an officer suddenly called out and got his attention.

"Megure-keibu! We found the murder weapon!" the officer called, carrying over a baseball bat. The end of the bat was covered in blood.

"Any fingerprints?" Sato asked eagerly.

The officer shook his head, "It's been wiped down."

"I see," Sato said, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She then turned to the three visitors, "I'm sorry. We were interrupted before. Could you please explain the whole story to us, about why you were visiting Yamamoto-san? You're all his co-workers correct? Was this a business related trip?"

The three looked at each other, before Toshi finally spoke. "We received a message about two hours ago, telling us to meet here immediately. Yamamoto-san said he had something important to tell us."

"Did he sound anxious or stressed?" Conan asked. For some reason, the three visitors no longer found it odd that they were being questioned by a little boy (A/N: I'm serious, this happens in the anime/manga all the time! Why doesn't any of the suspects find it strange?).

"I'm not sure. It was a text message," Aya said, pulling out here phone. "See?"

"And all three of you received similar messages?" Sato asked. The two men nodded and pulled out their phones; the display showed an almost identical message. The message was brief and generic:

_This is Yamamoto. I need to speak with you and the rest of the development team. Please come to my apartment at 5:30PM today._

And that was the end of the message.

"Development team?" Sato asked.

"Hai, all three of us are part of the development team for Capsule Corp," Ryu explained.

"And all three of you arrived here at 5:30PM?" Sato asked.

Toshi nodded. "But no one answered when we rang the doorbell. We thought Yamamoto-san might be out or something, so we waited outside for a while. I think it was almost six when we started to get impatient," Toshi explained. "We tried calling his phone and that's when we heard it was coming from inside the apartment."

"So you just decided to break in?" Sato asked incredulously.

"Well, you see," Toshi started, trying to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say.

"Yamamoto-san said he thought someone had been stalking him lately," Ryu picked up, "We thought something bad might have happened, so we broke down the door."

"Stalking?" Megure asked.

Aya nodded. "Yamamoto-san said that he'd get prank calls, with heavy breathing on the other side. He said he also felt like someone was following him," Aya said, looking quite solemn.

"Megure-keibu," a forensic tech called from inside the apartment, "the time of death appears to be 4:30PM."

"And when did you three receive the texts from the victim?" Sato asked. All three confirmed the texts were send around 4:00PM. "So, the victim sends texts to each of you to meet, and then thirty minutes later, gets killed by his stalker," Sato reiterated, again deep in thought.

"What's wrong, Sato?" Megure asked.

"I don't know, Keibu. Something doesn't feel quite right," Sato said slowly. Conan silently agreed. The timing did seem a little too convenient, that the three visitors just happened to discover the body an hour after the victim was killed. And the stalker felt like a straw man, a nonexistent scapegoat for the real criminal. Conan glanced at the three visitors; he needed more clues.

Conan slipped into the apartment, careful to not draw attention to himself. His head was still sore from the last time Kogoro punched him.

Once inside, Conan's eyes instantly narrowed. _This apartment-!_ Conan thought, eyes darting around. _Aha_! Conan thought as he found what he was looking for. He pulled a chair over to the far wall, stood on it, and glanced at the thermostat. _57 degrees Fahrenheit.__ So the A/C was turned on!_ A grin crossed Conan's face, a piece of the puzzle revealing itself. Next, Conan put the chair back and made his way to where the victim was found. A pool of blood had stained the beige carpet deep red. Conan knelt down and inspected the stain. His eyes again narrowed when he noticed that there was a smudge on the edge of the stain, like someone had stepped on it. _The smudge would mean-_ Conan thought, standing up. Conan took one last look around the apartment to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Then he quietly made his way back outside. Megure was still talking.

"There's only one copy of the key?" Megure was asking.

"Yamamoto-san was a bit paranoid, with the whole stalker thing. So he made sure there was only one key to his apartment," Ryu explained.

"And the key was found on Yamamoto-san's person?" Megure asked.

"Hai," Sato replied.

"Keibu-dono! I know what's going on!" Kogoro, who had been silent up that point, blurted out.

"Oh, you do, Mouri-kun?" Megure asked.

"Yes! The victim, feeling too stressed from the stalker, committed suicide. If there was only one key, and the door was locked with the victim and key inside, then the victim must have killed himself!" Kogoro reasoned. Conan just face palmed. It had been so much better when Kogoro had kept his mouth shut.

"I suppose your right, Mouri-kun. If there had been a murderer, this would be a locked-room murder," Megure replied. Kogoro just laughed in his usual obnoxious fashion, proud of his deduction.

"That's not true, Keibu," Sato interrupted, cutting short Kogoro's victory laugh. "The way this lock works, the murderer could have somehow gained entry to the apartment, bludgeoned the victim, locked the door from the inside and then exited, closing the door on his way out. The door would lock automatically." Conan smiled; at least someone had a brain. "The door wasn't dented or anything when you first arrived, correct?" Sato asked.

"No, it looked fine," Toshi replied.

"And given that there aren't any marks by the keyhole, it likely means that the murderer didn't break into the apartment. Rather, Yamamoto-san let him in. Which also means that it was likely someone he knew." Sato looked suspiciously at the three.

"I already told you, we had nothing to do with it," Toshi snapped.

"Yet your arrival here is quite coincidental," Sato said, voicing Conan's own thoughts.

"We told you, officer, that Yamamoto-san called us here. We even showed you the proof," Ryu said.

"One of you could have come here early, gotten Yamamoto-san to let you in, killed him, and then used his phone to send those texts," Sato speculated.

"You're just not gonna let up, are you? Why would any of us even want to kill Yamamoto-san?" Toshi lashed out.

There was a pause before Ryu spoke, "Well, you were about to be fired by Yamamoto-san, weren't you, Izumi-san?"

"What?! Who told you that?" Toshi asked angrily.

"There were rumors going around, Izumi-kun," Aya said softly.

"Hmph! Sure, Yamamoto-san might have been about to fire me, but I would have just gotten another job! I wouldn't have killed him over it! And besides," Toshi said, turning the accusation around, "You owed Yamamoto-san a huge sum of money, didn't you, Miyagi-san?! If Yamamoto-san was dead, you wouldn't have to pay the debt!"

"What nonsense are you sprouting?" Ryu said, clearly irked.

"Izumi-kun, please stop," Aya pleaded softly.

"And you, Aya-chan!" Toshi said, feeling that if he was going to be accused, he'd just bring everyone else along for the ride, "You'd have the strongest reason of all to want Yamamoto-san dead!"

"What does he mean by that?" Sato asked, looking over at Aya.

"I-" Aya started, but couldn't continue.

"Her brother was worked to death by Yamamoto-san," Ryu explained.

"So see?! Each of us had a motive!" Toshi exclaimed, laughing rather manically. _I think he's snapped..._ Conan sighed, wondering if admitting that to having a motive for murder was really a valid defense for that very murder.

"Keiji," Ryu started, ignoring Toshi, "You said the murder happened at 4:30PM, correct? Then I have an alibi."

"An alibi?" Sato asked. Conan's ears perked at that.

Ryu nodded. "I was at the airport. My flight had just arrived at 4:00PM and at the supposed time of the murder, I was in the baggage pickup looking for my suitcase. The airliner managed to lose it somehow. I think I was there until 4:45 or so? So I believe that rules me out as a suspect."

Conan cupped his chin, pondering about the new information.

"Wait! I have an alibi too!" Toshi suddenly exclaimed. _Oi, oi_, Conan thought, a deadpan expression crossing his face, _shouldn't that have been the first thing you said to try and clear yourself as a suspect?_

"And what's your alibi?" Sato asked.

"I was at work until 4:15PM! It's a thirty minute drive from there to here! There's no way I could have gotten here in time to commit a murder! You can call the office! Ask anyone! They'll tell you I was there!" Toshi said, almost tripping over his own sentences.

"And you, Kihara-san?" Sato asked, looking at the woman, "Do you have an alibi too?"

"I was," Aya started; she looked sad all of a sudden. "I was in the temple, praying for my brother in heaven."

"And can anyone confirm that?" Kogoro asked, trying to be useful after his previous blunder.

"The priest probably can," Aya replied meekly. Megure nodded to one of the officers, who promptly went to check out the alibis.

"For now, we're going to request that you remain until we have your alibis checked out," Megure instructed.

Conan looked over at Sato, who appeared deep in thought. The officer was probably going over all the facts of the case in her head. She was probably thinking that the most likely culprit was one of the three present. And Conan was inclined to agree. They all had a motive for murder. But there was a problem, and it **wasn't** the problem of the three all having an alibi. In fact, Conan was sure each of the three alibis would check out; it was part of the murderer's trick after all. No, the problem was that each of the three suspects seemed just as likely to be the culprit. _Think, there has to be a clue somewhere_.

Conan turned to the suspects again, closely inspecting each from head to toe. After his inspection, he did notice something strange with each of the suspects. For Toshi, Conan noticed that the man's hands were quite calloused, as if he were a batter for a baseball team. For Ryu, Conan noticed mud stains on the man's pants, as if he had been running in the rain. For Aya, Conan noticed a small tear in the woman's blouse, as if something had forcefully torn the fabric.

A grin crossed Conan's face. He had figured out who the murderer was, and he even knew where to find the evidence to prove it.

The officer Megure had sent out returned shortly. "Megure-keibu, all three alibis check out," the officer reported, just as Conan predicted.

"Thank you," Megure said, dismissing the officer.

Sato felt herself biting her lip. "The most likely culprit is one of these three. Yet why do they all have an alibi?" she mumbled to herself. Conan looked over at Sato, noticing her troubled look. Then he turned to Kogoro, who was still dumbly looking at the scene.

_Perhaps it's time for Sleeping Kogoro to make an appearance?_ Conan thought, smirking.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

So I've been thinking that for these cases, it'd be really fun to see if you guys can solve them. It'd also help me gauge how difficult the cases are and if I should make them easier/harder. Of course, I'm not asking you to work hard for free.** So, I'm proposing a small game! I've drawn up a manga page for Chapter One. Nothing fancy, just an illustrated version of the story. If you can solve the crime, I'll send the page to you as a prize** (it's only one page since I'm just trying this out, but if you guys like the idea, I'll probably offer more pages or entire chapters as prizes later on). The link to the page is already posted on my profile. You still need the password to the album though.

Here are the rules:

1. Answer must be posted in the reviews (and you have to be logged on or I can't PM you the password).

2. Max one try per person. Don't spam the reviews...

3. No cheating and looking at other people's answers.

4. Deadline for answer is whenever the next chapter is posted (like four or five days from now).

Answers should be of this format.

**Culprit:**  
**Reasoning:**  
**Evidence:**

The reasoning doesn't have to be spot on, but the culprit and evidence should be. A helpful hint. Every time Conan's eyes _narrow,_ it's likely because there was an important clue found. (ctrl + F is your friend).

**Once I check you've gotten the correct answer, I'll PM you the password to the manga page. The link is already posted on my profile.** If you don't manage to get the answer, don't stress about it! This is just something fun for those who want a challenge. I'll probably release the manga page in a couple of chapters or so for everyone who didn't get to see it.

Best of luck, detectives!


	23. Arc Three: And I'm a Detective!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

"Keibu-san, we all have an alibi! So why are you still holding us here?" Toshi asked, clearly annoyed. He crossed his arms, as if in attempt to show just how annoyed he was.

"Well…" Megure started, turning towards Sato for help, but the officer was still head-down, deep in thought. The inspector then turned to Kogoro, but that also proved to be a futile attempt; Kogoro was wearing a blank expression across his face, thinking about who knows what (actually, beer probably, or Yoko-chan, or Yoko-chan drinking beer, but I digress). Megure just sighed. "I suppose you're right. You've all given statements to the officers, correct?" All three suspects nodded in reply. "Then you're free to go, for now," Megure said, gesturing to the stairs.

_Well, it's now or never_, Conan thought, pulling out his tranquilizer gun. He aimed it at Kogoro and fired, the little dart hitting Kogoro in the neck.

"Ah-le?" Kogoro remarked, suddenly feeling drowsy. He stumbled a few steps before finally ending up on the ground, back against the outside wall of the apartment. Conan quickly ran into the apartment and hid from view, pulling out his voice-changing bowtie as he did so.

"Matte, Keibu-dono!" Conan called with Kogoro's voice.

"Oh, Mouri-kun!" Megure called out, excited, and perhaps relieved, by the appearance of Sleeping Kogoro.

"Keibu-dono, one of those three is the criminal who killed Yamamoto-san," Conan said, a grin on his face.

"Nonsense! Did you forget we all have an alibi?" Toshi exclaimed.

"I hope the police are ready to face harassment charges if you're wrong," Ryu added coolly. At that, Megure gave Kogoro a look, as if to ask, "Are you sure about this, Mouri-kun?"

Conan let out a sarcastic laugh, "I think murder charges are a bit more serious, don't you, the murderer who beat Yamamoto-san to death with a baseball bat, Miyagi Ryu-san?" Instantly, all eyes turned towards Ryu.

"Ryu did?" Toshi asked, almost in disbelief.

"Miyagi-kun…"Aya mumbled.

Ryu himself, though, didn't react to the statement, and instead, remained calm, all the while staring at Sleeping Kogoro. "That's a rather tall claim, detective," Ryu said slowly, licking his lips, "Care to explain how I could have murdered Yamamoto-san when I was still at the airport at the time of murder?"

"It's simple really. An alibi trick," Conan said into the voice-changing bowtie.

"Alibi trick?" Sato asked, looking up from her thoughts.

"Yes, an alibi trick. You see, the air conditioning inside the apartment is on, and as you may know, cold temperatures slow down rigor mortis. Thus, the actual time of death was prior to 4:30PM. I'd say it was more likely 3:30PM," Conan explained.

"Changing the time of death," Sato mumbled, "That could work."

"What does that have to do with Miyagi-san being the murderer?" Toshi asked.

"This is what actually happened," Conan replied, "At 3:30PM, Ryu-san was invited inside by Yamamoto-san. Ryu-san then proceeded to murder Yamamoto-san and made his way back to the airport in time so that it appeared he was disembarking off the 4:00PM plane. He then walked to the baggage claim, where he made a ruckus about losing his luggage. This was to ensure that the airline staff remembered him and provide him with the perfect alibi."

Conan glanced out the door at Ryu; the latter still appeared calmed. "That's a very clever trick, Mouri-san," Ryu finally said, "But I think there is a mistake in your logic. You claim that I was invited inside this very apartment at 3:30PM. But you see, at 3:30PM I was still on the plane from Nagoya, far from the crime scene. Or are you suggesting I just teleported here?"

"You could have easily taken an earlier plane," Sato pointed out.

Ryu just shook his head, "There were no other Nagoya-Tokyo flights today. Plus, I have a receipt from a restaurant at the airport in Nagoya indicating I was still there in the airport at 2:00PM." Ryu fished out a piece a paper from his pocket and handed it over to Megure.

"It's true, Sato-san," Megure confirmed.

"So, you just happened to know that there were no other Nagoya-Tokyo flights?" Sato asked, clearly suspicious.

"I wanted to take an earlier flight, so I called the airliner about it. It was at that point that I found out there was only one flight today, namely, the 2:00PM to 4:00PM one," Ryu replied.

"And you just happened to keep a receipt that would prove your innocence?" Sato pressed.

"I keep all receipts so I can get reimbursement," Ryu replied.

"You have all the answers, don't you?" Sato remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is there a charge in there, officer?" Ryu replied, "I should also mention that after I finished eating, I immediately boarded the plane." A conceited grin formed across Ryu's face; Sato had to try hard to restrain her annoyance.

"Haha, Miyagi-san. So you weren't the murderer after all," Toshi said, giving Ryu a slap on the back.

"No, actually he is," Conan interrupted.

"Please, Mouri-san. How long are you going to sit there and accuse me without a shred of evidence?" Ryu said. Then turning to the Megure, "Is this how the police conduct business now? Outsourcing to civilians?"

Megure was about to protest but Conan cut him off, "I wonder how long your confidence will last, Ryu-san. Keibu-dono, what if I told you that it was possible to get from Nagoya to Tokyo in a little under an hour?"

"Eh?" Megure said, surprised, "But doesn't a plane take two hours?"

"It's a psychological trick, Keibu-dono. You would think that a plane would travel faster than any other means of transportation. And to a certain extent, it's true. But when the distances are short, like in this case from Nagoya to Tokyo, planes are notorious inefficient. Try to recall the last time you took a plane. How long did you have to wait on the runway at both ends? A plane may idle for a long time, either waiting for a terminal to park in or a runway to take off from. This is especially true at a busy airport like Tokyo airport. If you were traveling transcontinental, then the waiting time seems miniscule in comparison to the flight time. But if the flight time is only be forty minutes, as in this case, a good deal of time is wasted. On the other hand, if you take an express train, like the Tokaido Shinkansen line, you'd reach Tokyo from Nagoya in just under an hour," Conan finished.

"I see!" Sato exclaimed, "That would mean Ryu-san arrived in Tokyo at 3:00PM, just enough time to come to this apartment and murder Yamamoto-san at 3:30PM." For the first time, Ryu's calm composure seemed to falter.

"E-evidence," Ryu sputtered before quickly pulling himself together again, "All you've done is speculate, Mouri-san. Where's the proof that any of this actually happened?"

"The first clue was your pants," Conan replied.

"Pants?" Megure asked.

"Keibu-dono, take a close look. Do you see the mud stains? When you run in the rain, the water splashes up and causes that particular pattern. If I recall, it wasn't raining in Nagoya today (A/N: Of course Conan would know what the weather was like in every prefecture in Japan). But it was raining in Tokyo until 4:00PM. If you were on the airplane as you claim, how did you get those stains on your pants? Furthermore, they were likely recent, as you don't seem like the type of person to leave dirty pants on for any extended period of time. As to the reason why you still have them on, it's because you haven't had time to change yet, seeing as you had to rush to the airport after killing Yamamoto-san," Conan said.

"Mouri-san, I'm pretty sure muddy pants won't hold up in any court of law," Ryu said, though Conan could detect the underlying fear.

"Well, _that_ should still be there," Conan said with a grin, realizing that he finally cornered the culprit.

"T-that?" Ryu asked, clearly scared by the detective.

"When you went inside and killed Yamamoto-san, you accidentally stepped in some of the blood. There's still the smudge from where it happened. So, if we check the bottom of your shoe, we should find it, blood matching the victim's. What do you say now, Ryu-san?" Conan finished. Ryu slowly lifted his shoe, a look of horror crossing his face as he realized the damning evidence. Finally backed into a corner, Ryu dropped onto his knees in surrender.

"I yield. It's exactly as you said," Ryu admitted. "Just my luck that I'd run into two sharks," he said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Two sharks?" Sato asked, curious.

"Yamamoto-san, the loan shark and Mouri-san, here, the shark of justice. I was thinking I was the big fish in the little pond with my carefully crafted plan. But as it turns out, I somehow ended up in the big pond, only to be devoured by the sharks there."

_Shark, huh?_ Conan thought silently. _No…I'm more like a dolphin._ **_They_** _are the true sharks._

"You can give the rest of your official statement at the police station," Megure said, calling over an officer to cuff Ryu.

With that, the case was officially over.

* * *

_"Think nothing of it. I have always been a firm believer in the value of emotions. At any rate, I have a new task for you."_

_"I'm listening."_

_"I need you to deliver an envelope for me."_

_"Who's the recipient?"_

_"William Neye."_

_"William Neye?"_

_"He specializes in human-machine systems and is currently working as the lead researcher in-"_

"Tyrell Corporation," Vermouth repeated silently to herself as she parked her Mercedes-Benz in the visitor's parking spot. Normally, she'd opt for her motorcycle, but the occasion had called for a more business-like approach. She made sure to lock up and then walked to the entrance of the Tyrell Corporation headquarters. "Hello, my name is Eleanor Arroway. I have an appointment with Dr. Neye," Vermouth said politely when she had reached the reception desk.

"One moment please," the receptionist said, picking up the phone, "Dr. Neye, your six o'clock is here." There was a pause as someone on the other end spoke. The receptionist nodded before putting down the phone. "He's in room 42," the receptionist said, pointing down the hall, "And here." The receptionist held out a name tag, which Vermouth took and wrote her name on, then sticking it on her blouse. Vermouth gave the woman a polite smile and then headed to room 42.

Upon reaching the room, Vermouth gave two curt knocks on the door. "Come in," a voice called from inside. Vermouth turned the door knob and entered. "Ah, you must be Eleanor Arroway," Dr. Neye said as he stood up and greeted the visitor. "Please, sit," he said, pointing to the chair across his desk. Vermouth took a seat and waiting for the man to continue. "Now, what can I help you with, Ms. Arroway?"

"This is a nice office you have," Vermouth commented, looking around the room. Multiple awards were plastered on every wall.

"Please, let's cut the niceties," Dr. Neye abruptly said, "You've clearly come here with a purpose, haven't you?" Vermouth gave a look of surprise at that. "Or was there some other reason you came pretending to be the fictional character from _Contact_?"

At that, Vermouth let out a small, and rather devious, smile. "Very perceptive of you, doctor. I guess we were right about you," Vermouth said.

"We?" Dr. Neye asked, curious. Vermouth reached into her inside pocket and pulled out a beige envelope. She carefully placed it on the table. "What's this?" Dr. Neye asked, looking suspiciously at what was just placed onto the table.

"Open it," Vermouth instructed. Dr. Neye took the envelope in hand and carefully opened it as if worried it contained a bomb. In a way, it did.

"T-this is-!" Dr. Neye said, his voice almost breaking. He dumped the contents of the envelope onto the desk; stacks of ten thousand dollar bills spilled out. "What is the meaning of this?" Dr. Neye demanded.

"It's all yours, about five million dollars in cash," Vermouth replied.

Dr. Neye's eyes instantly narrowed. "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but, why are you giving me all this money?"

"Let's just say those that I represent are very interesting in your particular line of research," Vermouth said.

"My research?" Dr. Neye asked, confused. Vermouth stood up, about to leave. "Wait!" Dr. Neye protested.

"Just think of it as a small investment from interested parties. We hope you will continue your work, doctor," Vermouth said as she reached for the door. She paused before leaving and turned around, giving the scientist a knowing smile, "Good luck, Dr. Neye."

Vermouth made her way back to the car, pausing briefly as she opened the door. Her gaze turned towards the sky, as if searching for something. _With this, we're one step closer to our goal, right, Otousan? _Vermouth thought.

The woman finally got into the car and sped off into the distance.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Let's talk about the murder case first. Big thanks to everyone who tried to solve the murder and an especially big thanks to crimsonskyr and justjoy for pointing out all sorts of errors I made xP Sorry the case wasn't as good as Gosho's but he does have 900 chapters up on me. Well, I'll keep trying to make them better! =D

Some things that were pointed out:

1. The air conditioning affecting rigor mortis and time of death should have been noticed by the police and taken into account during the calculation of the original time of death. This was my mistake. What I should have said was that the air condition was set on a timer and the temperature was returned to normal by the time the police got there, as justjoy suggests.

2. The blood stain part wasn't very clear. Yes, admittedly I didn't really consider that they would wear slippers, as that is a Japanese tradition. I figured they would just barge in with their shoes, as that's what American people do xP

Anyways, hope the case was fun for everyone (well...maybe fun is the wrong word for a murder xD)!

In regards to the BO, what are they planning? First Soviets, now Dr. William Neye and human-machine systems (props to everyone who gets the reference)? All we know is that they're up to something...And if you didn't catch it, yes, Vermouth said _Otousan_, as in her _Otousan_. This should shed some light on previous chapters? Or maybe just confuse you more? I don't know.

See you guys in the next chapter!


	24. Arc Three: Haibara's Past

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Detective Conan.

* * *

_Who are you?! _

_-not Akemi Miyano-? I'm not going to hurt you. - Saguru Hakuba, a detective. _

_-just leave and forget everything-._

_ It's my duty to solve cases-. There isn't a single mystery in the world that can't be solved._

_There isn't a single mystery in the world that can't be solved._

"Kudo-kun," Haibara mumbled, slowly opening her eyes. Then, regaining her senses, Haibara suddenly sat up and darted her eyes around, as if worried Conan might have been around to hear. A sigh of relief escaped the girl's lips when she realized the room was empty. The last thing she needed was Conan hearing her mumble his name in her sleep.

Haibara turned and looked at the alarm by her bed, the clock reading 2:00AM; she had only been asleep for two hours. A mix of anxiety and uncertainty had woken her up.

With so much swarming in her head, Haibara decided to get up and walk to the kitchen, still dressed in her pajamas. Once there, she poured herself a glass of water from the tap; the cool water felt refreshing as it trickled down her throat. When she was done, Haibara rinsed the glass and returned it to the rack. She then made her way to a nearby window, gazing out into the night. She could see Conan's house from the window, its roof just rising over the gated fence. Elsewhere, all was dark, save for the small amount of light that was shining down from the crescent moon.

_Will it really be okay?_ Haibara thought silently, referring to the situation with Hakuba. Conan had assured her that Hakuba's recent discovery would not compromise their identities, but Haibara was less than convinced. Holmes' fan or not, Hakuba knowing that Edogawa Conan was Kudo Shinichi was dangerous, not only for them, who were trying to hide from the Organization, but for the British detective as well. Just by knowing, Hakuba had made himself a target of the Black Organization. And if the detectives around her were any indication, Haibara had no doubt the Brit would eventually stick his nose where it didn't belong.

Not that she really cared, right? It was really none of her concern what happened to Hakuba, right? After all, Haibara barely knew the Brit, had only heard snippets about him from Conan. No, it was more important that Hakuba didn't blow their cover by arousing the Organization's ire. Aside from that, whatever the Brit chose to do was his own business.

_"Are you alright? Oi!"_ Hakuba's voice echoed.

Haibara shook the voice out of her head. Like she said, what happened to the Brit was none of her concern, so long as he didn't blow Conan's and her identities.

Haibara sighed, making the way back to her room. 2:30AM. She really needed to get back to sleep.

Haibara climbed back onto her bed; the queen sized mattress was much too big for her small body, though she did enjoy the extra space. Once lying down, Haibara turned to her side, looking at the blank wall. But her mind was anything but blank. The thoughts continued to swarm, like a group of angry bees- restless, buzzing, dangerous.

It wasn't just the British detective that occupied Haibara's thoughts. The whole kidnapping event with the Black Organization had reminded Haibara of something, a memory of long ago that had been forgotten. Or maybe it was that she didn't want to remember. In either case, the memory had resurfaced, had been brought to light. And in turn, it had illuminated much of the darkness that was the Black Organization. As Haibara drifted off to sleep, her past once again bubbled into her dreams.

* * *

_"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy~ when skies are grey," Shiho sang as she rummaged through garden, in search of the perfect flower to compliment the daisies she had already picked. That's when she spotted some purple lilacs. Shiho felt herself smile as she continued to sing, "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Shiho picked out the lilacs and placed them together with the daisies, holding the entire bundle in her small hands. Excited, she ran inside, in search of her mother._

_"Shiho," a voice called, grabbing the girl's attention. It was her sister._

_"Akemi-neechan!" Shiho chirped, running towards her sister; Shiho gave her sister a big hug. "Look what I got for mama!" Shiho exclaimed, holding out the bundle of flowers for her sister to see._

_"They're so pretty, Shiho," Akemi remarked, admiring the flowers._

_"I want to show mama," Shiho said._

_"Ah, not right now, Shiho," Akemi replied, causing Shiho to appear rather upset._

_"Why not?" Shiho asked with a pout._

_"Okasan's busy talking with some visitors," Akemi replied._

_"Visitors? Who?" Shiho asked, brimming with childish curiosity._

_"Someone job-related, I think," Akemi replied. "I only heard a little but one of them said her name was Vermouth or something."_

_As if on cue, a movement was heard from the study nearby. The door opened and three people walked out._

_"Akemi, Shiho," Elena, their mother called, waving to her two daughters._

_"Mama!" Shiho called, running to her mother. Shiho slowed as she approached though, for the first time noticing the two strangers standing next to her mother. She shied away from them, hiding behind her mother's leg._

_"Shiho, what are you doing?" Elena asked, pushing Shiho out from hiding. "Come say 'hello'. This is Mr. Etanoru and his daughter, Ms. Vermouth," Elena introduced, pointing to a middle-aged looking man and a girl who looked no older than twenty years old._

_"Hello, there," the man said, his voice gentle and pleasing to the ears. He approached Shiho, knelt down to her level, and gave the girl a kind smile, "What's your name, Ojousan?"_

_"Shiho," Shiho replied, starting to warm up to the man._

_"That's a lovely name," Etanoru complimented. "Are those flowers for your mother?" he asked, noticing the bundle in Shiho's hand._

_"Un," Shiho nodded._

_"They're beautiful," Etanoru said as he stood back up, "I'm sure your mother would love them." Etanoru gave Elena a smile, which was promptly returned._

_"Here, mama!" Shiho chirped, handing her mother the flowers. Elena took them from Shiho's small hands and held them up to her face, breathing in the fragrance._

_"They're lovely, Shiho. Thank you," Elena said, smiling at Shiho. Shiho beamed with that, a wide smile stretching across her cherubic face._

_The smile was short-lived, however, as Shiho suddenly noticed the teenage girl staring at her; the girl's eyes were piercing blue and glaring menacingly, causing Shiho to shrink back a little in fear. When the teenager realized Shiho had noticed her glare, her expression suddenly softened and she gave Shiho a small wave. Shiho waved back slowly, feeling that something was a bit strange with the teenager._

_"And you must be Akemi," Etanoru said, interrupting the brief encounter between Shiho and Vermouth._

_"Hello, Etanoru-san," Akemi greeted._

_"Such a polite young lady," Etanoru commented. "I have a son about your age," Etanoru said, momentarily getting lost in his own thoughts. Then he turned to his daughter. "Shall we get going, Vermouth?" Etanoru asked._

_"Okay, Otousan," Vermouth said with a nod. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Elena-san," Vermouth said politely._

_"It's good to finally meet you as well, Vermouth," Elena said. "Girls, say goodbye," Elena instructed._

_"Bye!" Akemi and Shiho said in unison as Etanoru and Vermouth left._

_Once the visitors were gone, Elena turned towards her daughters and asked, "So girls, what did you think of Mr. Etanoru and Ms. Vermouth?"_

_"Etanoru-san was really nice!" Shiho replied excitedly._

_"I see," Elena said slowly, a gentle smile forming, "That's good to hear."_

_"What do you mean, Kasan?" Akemi asked._

_"Oh, it's nothing, Akemi," Elena said, "Now, how about we get these flowers into a vase? How does that sound, Shiho?"_

_"Yay!" Shiho chirped, waving her arms._

* * *

_"Mama's still not home?" Shiho asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she tried to stay awake._

_"Okasan's still at work with Etanoru-san and Vermouth-san," Akemi replied, cradling Shiho's head in her lap. The two girls were lying in bed, waiting for their mother's return. "Maybe you should go to sleep, Shiho," Akemi suggested, noticing how tired her sister looked._

_"I want to wait for mama," Shiho whined as she yawned._

_"How about I wake you up when she gets back?" Akemi asked._

_"Promise?" Shiho asked in turn._

_"Promise," Akemi said, handing Shiho her favorite teddy bear, Mr. Bubbles. It wasn't even ten minutes before Shiho was sound asleep._

* * *

_"Mama!" Shiho called, barging into the study._

_"Shiho," Elena greeted, looking up from her book. Papers were scattered across the table, diagraming various devices and listing chemical compounds and formulas._

_"That's a pretty ring, Mama!" Shiho chirped, noticing the shiny diamond ring on her mother's left ring finger. "Where did you get it?"_

_"Mr. Etanoru gave it to me," Elena replied._

_"Why did Etanoru-san give mama a ring?" Shiho asked, curious about the situation._

_"Because he's a dear friend," Elena replied with a smile._

_"So friends give each other rings?" Shiho wondered aloud._

_"Yes, Shiho," Elena said, pulling Shiho into her lap._

_"Mama, how much do rings cost?" Shiho asked abruptly._

_"Why do you want to know, Shiho?" Elena asked._

_"Because I want to buy mama and Akemi-neechan a ring! And maybe Etanoru-san also!" Shiho exclaimed, beaming. Elena just smiled._

* * *

_"Mama, what's wrong?" Shiho said, creeping into the study. "Why are you crying?" Shiho asked, a little afraid of what was happening. Her mother never cried._

_"Oh, Shiho," Elena said, quickly wiping away her tears. The papers on the table were a mess, with stacks of papers on the floor as well. "It was nothing," Elena said, forcing a smile. But Shiho could tell that something was wrong. "Come here, Shiho," her mother called and Shiho sprinted over, jumping into her mother's lap. "You know I love you very much, right, Shiho?" Elena asked as she stroked her daughter's hair._

_"I love mama very much too!" Shiho replied, looking up at her mother. For some reason, her mother's expression made her want to cry too. Her mother, noticing this, quickly diverted her gaze to the window. "You're a very smart girl, Shiho," her mother said absentmindedly. "You and your sister need to stick together, alright? No matter what happens."_

_"Mama?" Shiho asked, confused._

_"Ah, where is Akemi, by the way?" Elena asked._

_"Akemi-neechan is making lunch," Shiho replied._

_"I see. Shall we go see what she's making?" Elena asked._

* * *

_"What do you mean my mother is dead?" Akemi shouted at the officer._

_"I'm sorry," the officer repeated, "There was a big car accident. Your mother died on impact."_

_"Where is she now? I need to see her!" Akemi demanded._

_"T-that's," the officer stumbled, "That's probably not the best idea."_

_"Let me decided that," Akemi retorted._

_Shiho suddenly felt her knees grow weak, as if they were now made of rubber and couldn't support her weight. She collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly ahead. "Okasan…is dead?" she mumbled._

_"Shiho!" Akemi shouted, running to her sister._

* * *

_"Don't worry. We'll take care of you," Etanoru said from across the table._

_"Thank you, Etanoru-san," Akemi said, bowing in gratitude._

_"We're in your debt, Etanoru-san," Shiho said._

_"It's the least I can do. After all, your mother was a very important person to me," Etanoru said, a smile forming across his face._

* * *

_Your mother was a very important person to me._

Haibara woke up, managing to turn off her alarm just before it went off. 6:30AM. School would begin in an hour so she should probably get ready. Haibara walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth, the dream she had still lingering in her mind.

Why had she been so blind to it before? Why hadn't she remembered that she had met Vermouth once, back when she was four years-old? Why hadn't she put together that Etanoru was…? And how could her mother just…without even telling them? Was it because everything had happened so quickly back then? Was it because back then she was just a naive little girl?

"Okasan," Haibara mumbled as she spit out the foam from the toothpaste. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, wondering how she had missed something so obvious. She, who was supposed to be so smart, had done something so dumb. She had trusted Etanoru.

"But now it all makes sense," Haibara mumbled. She understood now why Gin and Vermouth hated her so much. The answer was simple.

Jealousy.

Haibara finished getting ready and walked into the kitchen. She could smell the toast; Hakase must have already woken up and made breakfast.

"Yo, Haibara," a voice said from the table, surprising the girl. It was Conan.

"Kudo-kun?" Haibara asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you've been acting weird lately so I thought I'd check up on you," Conan said.

He came to check up on her? Had she made it so obvious that something was troubling her? Or was he just being over-perceptive as usual?

"It's nothing," Haibara brushed off, grabbing a piece of toast from a plate on the table. Hakase wasn't there so he had probably already gone down to the lab after eating.

"Are you sure?" Conan asked, pressing the issue, "If there's something bothering you, you can tell me, you know that right? We're in this together."

Haibara quickly looked down; she could feel herself begin to blush in response to the sincerity in Conan's voice. _In this together?_ Haibara thought. It was more like she dragged him into it. And yet, he didn't hate her for some reason, but even thought of her as…a friend. _Should I tell him about what I remember?_ Haibara wondered, looking up. Conan was still staring, waiting for her to reply.

"Like I said, it's nothing, Kudo-kun," Haibara finally said, her face taking on its usually emotionless expression. "Now hurry up. You're going to make us late for class," Haibara said, picking up her school bag and heading to the door.

"Mm, Maibama, mait mup!" Conan said, a piece of toast still in his mouth.

_He doesn't need to know yet, _Haibara decided, looking back at the little detective as he tried to put on his shoes. _Not yet._

* * *

"Alright, everyone, settle down," the homeroom teacher was saying, "I'm going to call attendance."

_That's weird_, Kaito thought, looking over to Hakuba's seat. It was empty. The detective rarely missed school unannounced and yet, in the last week, he's been late and now he's skipping? _What's he up to? _Kaito wondered silently._ Nothing good, probably._

* * *

**Two weeks pass.**

* * *

**Somewhere in Japan**

"How's _it_ going?"

"It's coming along."

"Good. Good. Keep me informed of any changes."

"As you wish."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Rather abrupt ending but a couple of very important plot points were revealed in this chapter. If you missed them, try reading the chapter again. Also, I've decided to go in the direction of Hakuba x Shiho, but I guess we'll see how that works out. Unfortunately, that means probably no ConAi. Anyways.

**Food for thought:**

1. Who is Etanoru and what is his relation to Elena?  
2. Why is Vermouth and Gin jealous of Haibara?  
3. Why is Hakuba skipping school?  
4. What is "it" that's coming along?

See you guys in the next chapter!


	25. Fluff: Deduction Show 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Detective Conan.

As usual, PM me if you want your username removed.

* * *

Unsatisfied with how the Deduction Show ended last time (with Conan and Heiji locked into a duel using Nerf guns in which Kaito KID somehow won), our stars have decided to change the setting, opting for a beach instead of the studio, in hopes of a change in pace. Our dutiful cameraman brings you live to the scene. Currently, Conan and Heiji are talking.

"Got it, Kudo? It's 'Da Heiji an Conan Deduction Show'," Heiji repeats for the millionth time. Conan just sighs.

"At this point, I don't even care anymore, Hattori," Conan replies, looking down as he digs his bare feet into the sand, "Can we just get started already?"

"Fine," Heiji replies in curt fashion. Conan looks over to the cameraman and gives the man a nod.

"On three," Conan says, "One, two-"

"Welcome to the-" Heiji and Conan begin, but a sudden smoke bomb rudely interrupts them.

"Kaito KID show!" KID announces, appearing in the smoke with a gas mask on.

"KID!" Conan exclaims, coughing from the smoke.

"Hello, Tantei-kun, Tantei-han," KID greets, nodding to each star. "I like your swimming shorts, Tantei-kun," KID says with a laugh.

"Shut up, KID! These were the only ones they had in kids' sizes," Conan replies, referring to his flashy Kamen Yaiba shorts. "More to the point, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here for the show of course," KID replies, taking off his gas mask now that the smoke has cleared.

"You do realize this is a deduction show, not a magic show, right?" Conan replies, completely ignoring the question of how KID had managed to find them in the first place.

"You think I can't make deductions just because I'm not some great detective?" KID remarks, feigning insult. Then with a shrug of the shoulders and a mischievous grin, KID says, "Plus, I brought a friend along." Suddenly, Hakuba appears from within KID's white cloak and stumbles forward into the sand.

"What're ya doin' 'ere?!" Heiji cries out, clearly annoyed by the presence of the Brit.

"I was just wondering that myself," Hakuba says coolly, glaring at KID as he stands back up. For some reason, he's already clothed in a bathing suit.

"Oh, c'mon, Hakuba! You'd really rather count bacteria in that musty house of yours than hang out here at the beach?" KID asks incredulously.

"How do _you_ know my house is musty?" Hakuba shoots back, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Ah, we should start talking about the story, right?" KID suggests, changing the subject, "There's a lot to talk about, ne, Tantei-kun?"

Somehow, Conan gets sucked into KID's pace. "Yes, I think there are about ten chapters to discuss?"

"WAIT!" KID announces as he sticks out his hand and cuts Conan off.

"Wat da heck?" Heiji asks in surprise.

"We should do this Deduction Show once we get into the water," KID says. In one swift motion, he strips off his normal Phantom Thief disguise, revealing a pair of white swimming shorts underneath. Of course, the monocle stays on in order to prevent Hakuba from learning his true identity. Then without pause, KID jumps into the water.

The three detectives just look on, unsure how to feel.

"Come on in! The water's great!" KID calls.

With a shrug, Conan enters the water, followed by Heiji and lastly Hakuba.

"See? Isn't it refreshing?" KID asks once everyone is in the water.

"You're right," Conan says, wading around near the shallow end.

"Did you just agree with me? I'm touched, Tantei-kun!" KID proclaims. Conan just sighs; he can't keep up with the thief. "So, what did you guys think about the last ten chapters?" KID asks, again shifting the conversation.

"It was interestin' because-" Heiji begins but KID cuts him off.

"Does anyone else feel like I should have had more parts in the story? I mean, I was only in four chapters," KID complains.

"Can ya shuddap already?" Heiji yells, smacking KID over the head. The thief pretends to be knocked out and sinks under the water. Small bubbles can be seen from where KID disappears. Heiji just ignores him. "Anyways, I think alota interestin' things happened."

"Hey, guys, look! I'm Kaimen Yaiba!" KID exclaims as he jumps out of the water and holds up Conan's swimming shorts high into the air.

"W-what?" Conan stutters, looking down. The boy's eyebrow quickly twitches as he realizes what KID has done. "Give those back, KID!" Conan shouts, leaping towards the thief.

"You'll have to catch me first, Tantei-kun," KID says playfully as he begins to swim away.

"Wait!" Conan calls, clearly annoyed, as he swims off after the thief.

"What did he even come here for?" Hakuba asks as he looks on at KID's antics. He then turns to Heiji, realizing that the two of them are left alone to do the show. The latter is giving him a glare. "I suppose it's up to us, then," Hakuba says coolly, glaring back at the Osakan.

"Sappose so," Heiji remarks, "Ya have da questions?"

"The producer just sent them to me," Hakuba says, pulling out his (water-proof) phone. Heiji does likewise. Hakuba eyes the Osakan's phone and remarks, "Oh, an Apple fanboy? What is that? The iPhone 11? Or have they increased the release rate since last I checked?"

"Wat's dat?" Heiji asks loudly, noticing Hakuba's Android, "Ya say ya wish ya had actual Apps for ya phone?"

The two detectives both glare at each other for a moment before Hakuba finally speaks, "Let's just get this over with."

"Fine," Heiji spits out as he looks down at his phone. "First question: 'ow can ya figure out da location of KID's heist in Chapter 15?" Heiji reads.

"Simple enough. The answer is _literally_ spelled out because you just read the first letter of each line from the bottom up. B-E-I-K-A-S-T-O-R-E. Beika Store. Next question: what is the significance of _phase three_?"

"Complicated question, but not too hard fa a detective," Heiji begins.

"Just answer the question," Hakuba says, drawing another glare from the Osakan.

"Phase two is da kidnappin' so dat's where da deductions should start. Phase one is described in Chapter 17 and da hint is **_Aka Nishin_**. Once ya figure out phase one, phase three logically falls inta place," Heiji explains, giving Hakuba a conceited smirk. Hakuba's eyebrow twitches. "Next question: What is da Daemon Chariot?" Heiji reads off his phone.

"In the story, KID hints that it has something to do with the Soviets. The Soviets were most active during the Cold War era, during which there was a massive nuclear arms race against the United States. If I had to guess, I'd say the gem contains nuclear launch codes, embedded into the gem's surface. This point seems to be confirmed in Chapter 18, as a specific wavelength of light manages to project the numbers and letters of the launch code onto a readable surface," Hakuba explains, throwing Heiji an equally conceited grin. "Why does Kaitou KID give Conan two puppies?" Hakuba reads.

"Ahou, he's obviously being protective," Heiji snaps then quickly moves on to the next question, "What is the relationship between Etanoru and Elena?"

"Husband and wife," Hakuba snaps as well, moving equally as fast, "Gin and Vermouth are-"

"Siblings," Heiji replies before Hakuba even finishes the question, "Vermouth and Shiho are-"

"Step-sisters," Hakuba replies, likewise cutting Heiji off. The two glare at each other, now in an unspoken race to see who can answer the most questions correctly. " Does Conan know KID's-"

"No. Does KID know Conan's-"

"No. Watson is-"

"Protective. Holmes is-"

"Investigative. Conan's nightmare is-"

"Significant. Da next chapter will be released-"

"Soon. My favorite color is-"

"Blue. Da author is gonna kill off-"

"K-" Hakuba starts but abruptly stops himself. He glares at Heiji. "Oh, that's funny, you jerk," Hakuba says slowly, "trying to get me blamed for ruining the story."

"I have no idea what ya talkin' 'bout," Heiji shrugs.

"I think this show is over," Hakuba says as he starts to walk back to shore.

"I was just about ta suggest da same," Heiji remarks, also leaving.

In the background, Conan's voice can still be heard, yelling for KID to return his swimming shorts.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

So, I hope this chapter clears ups a couple of things that I assumed the reader to know.

Also, I didn't mention specific people like last time because it didn't quite fit into the flow of the story (sorry T.T). But special thanks to the following people for their questions: MnC21, twodckid7, ILoveFanfiction-AnimeAdik, MagicMilkbone, TheLameDaydreamer, and Tobina (sorry if I forgot you x.x).

Also, some shameless advertising! If you want something else to read, go check out the following stories:  
"The Bet" by TheLameDaydreamer  
"Scars" by Tobina  
"Gazing With Mismatched Eyes" by CrescentMoonTenshi  
Other Random Nonsense by me (That's not an actual story title...don't go looking for it xD)

Hopefully by going to read these stories, you will inadvertently pressure the author's to write faster and then I will be able to read their next chapters, mwahahaha (ingeniously evil plan, ne? But seriously, they're good stories so you should go read them =])

**Some take-aways (AKA tl;dr):**

1) Aka Nishin is the hint for phase one.

2) Etanoru (Vermouth's father) is/was married to Elena (Shiho's mother), making Vermouth Shiho's step sister and Gin Shiho's step brother (also Vermouth and Gin are siblings). See last chapter.

3) Daemon Chariot contains nuclear launch codes, though I haven't revealed what the BO intends to do with them.

4) KID, as of right now, is protective towards Conan, hence the puppies (I think this was MnC21's question at some point xD).

5) I, the author, am going to kill off a character who's name begins with "K". You guys can take your guesses xD

Oh and Hakuba likes the color blue.

**Just a quick reminder guys to review and post any questions you may have about the story! Or PM me your questions! I love hearing back from you guys and it helps to know what doesn't make sense in the story so that I can improve on it for the next chapters. **

**Some things you can write about:**

**1. What do you think the BO is doing with nuclear weapons?  
2. Is it plausible (from the canon point of view) for Vermouth and Haibara to be step-sisters?  
3. Is it plausible that Gin and Vermouth are siblings?  
4. Who do you think Etanoru is?  
5. Who do you think will be killed off (I'm kind of afraid to ask this one xD)?**

See you in the next chapter!


	26. Arc Three: Twilight Hotel

_It's me, only, it's not really me. I'm here after all and, well, he's down there. But he looks exactly like me; he has my face, my hands, my body…_

_He's lying there on the operating table, the boy that is. He's awake and moving his head around, which causes me to look around as well. I notice we're in a room of sorts. There's a mirror in front of the boy. Is this an interrogation room? Is there someone standing behind the mirror, watching?_

_The boy notices the mirror as well, notices his own face reflected in the glass. His face- my face; his expression- my expression. His eyes open a little wider, as if realizing some truth._

_A sudden familiarity overtakes me. Have I been here before? Have I see this room before? This boy before? Of course! I mean, it's me! But it can't be me. So why is everything so familiar? I can't…remember._

_The boy becomes frantic now; his body strains to get free from the operating table. But towels tie him down, preventing any movement._

_For the first time, I notice the dozens of wires extending from his bare torso. Some lead to an EKG, of which the needle is moving slowly. Some lead to an EEG, situated behind the boy. To the side is one of those carts often seen in hospitals, the one that measures heart rate, pulse, and oxygen. All the vitals appear normal for the moment._

_Is he a patient?_

_The entire operating table is shaking now with the boy's struggles. Audible grunts can be heard, but all the boy's efforts are to no avail._

_I call out to him. "Do you need help?" But my voice goes unheard by the boy. Then I try to move and get closer, perhaps to untie him. That's when I realize I too am restricted by some invisible force. I cannot participate in whatever is to happen. The force tells me that I am merely an observer._

_Just then, a man walks in pushing a small cart. Is he a surgeon? It is difficult to tell as his back is turned to me; the only thing I can see is that he's dressed completely in black. The boy notices the surgeon as well and stops his struggling. The boy's eyes narrow as he glares at the man but he doesn't say a word. The surgeon is likewise silent and reaches for the cart, pulling out a clipboard. He takes note of the boy's vitals before putting the clipboard down again and pulling out an old fashion stereo._

_Now that's odd. What is he doing with the stereo? The surgeon puts the stereo on top of the cart and pulls out a cassette tape from his pocket. He places the tape into the stereo and presses play, causing music to emanate from the speakers. It's Requiem for a Dream. The melody permeates through the room and bounces off the walls. As soon as the music starts, the boy noticeably tenses; a glazed expression crosses his face. Somehow, I can sense his fear._

_The feeling of dread lingers in the air._

_The surgeon once more reaches into the cart, pulling out a belt this time. The belt has several wires hanging out, leading to what appears to be a battery. Without pause, the surgeon attaches the belt to the boy's waist, much to the latter's protest. But there is little the boy can do, being tied down._

_The surgeon finally turns around, allowing me to gaze at his face, only, he doesn't have one. The surgeon doesn't have a face. Where it is supposed to be, there is only…emptiness._

_The music is still playing in the background._

_From his pocket, the surgeon pulls out a remote. Upon seeing the remote, the boy hardens his expression, becoming completely stoic. But his shaking body betrays him, betrays his fear._

_On the remote is a singular button, which the surgeon promptly pushes. I feel a tingling sensation as he does so; an explosion of electricity from the belt follows._

_The boy screams, shocked, as his body spazzes uncontrollably against the restraints. The surgeon, in the meantime, is busy looking at his watch. One. Two. Three. Four. Five._

_He counts to five, five long seconds, before finally releasing the button on the remote. The electricity to the belt ceases and the boy's body twitches a few more times before settling down into operating table. The boy himself is panting now as he gasps for breath. "What," he struggles to say, "do you want from me?" The surgeon doesn't respond._

_I, on the other hand, have plenty to say. "Stop!" I yell, horrified by the situation. But neither the boy nor the surgeon hears me._

_Curse this invisible force binding me here!_

_The surgeon once again picks up his clipboard and records something. Then he checks his watch and then checks the boy and then checks his clipboard again. He pays the boy no heed._

_I feel myself grow increasingly frustrated. Oh if only I could punch the surgeon! If only I could knock him out and free the boy. But I'm trapped as this damned observer. As the minutes slowly tick by, no one save me is talking. Not that it does any good since I can't be heard._

_Ten full minutes pass._

_The surgeon puts down his clipboard and picks up the remote. The boy doesn't even look up anymore, as if resigned to his fate._

_The surgeon pushes the button._

_The crackle of electricity can be again heard, rippling, ripping, through the boy's body. The lines on the EKG and EEG spike wildly as the current dissipates. Over on the small hospital cart, the blood pressure skyrockets to 200/120; the pulse jumps to 180. Again, the surgeon waits until five before stopping the current. Slowly, the vitals return to normal. The boy's body grows limp, as if unconscious. Noticing this, the surgeon takes out a bag from the cart labeled "Adrenaline Patch". He pulls out two patches, each about the size of the boy's arm. The surgeon removes the seal on the back, revealing the sticky surface underneath. He walks over to the boy and sticks the patches on, one for each arm. He then returns to his clipboard, presumably to note what he had done. Then he waits._

_Another ten minutes pass._

_The boy begins to stir, eyes slowly opening. Soon, he is once again alert. He notices the patches on his arms and turns to glare at the surgeon._

_The boy's expression, the mix of emotions present in it, tears my heart to pieces. How I want to help him! How I want to go down and free him, hold him and tell him that he'd get through this, that I'm right here with him. But I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't._

_The surgeon is reaching for the remote again and I feel myself splitting along two emotions: anger and fear. "Stop!" I yell at the top of my lungs. "Stop!" But it is to no effect. "Leave him alone!" I cry and the boy screams._

* * *

Conan shot up into a sitting position, his hand instantly grabbing his shirt as if to brace himself. He was breathing heavily and he could feel his heart still pounding away in his chest, threatening to rip out of his ribcage.

_Calm down_, Conan told himself, _it was just a dream. It was just a dream_.

He took in a deep breath, trying to slow down his breathing and heart rate.

_Just a dream_.

Conan let himself fall back onto the futon, his eyes slowly drifting towards the ceiling. He stared at it blankly, letting his mind wander. Was it just a dream? It had seemed so real, so vivid. And the emotions he felt during the dream, he was still feeling them now: fear, pain, anger. Did that not make his dream real?

_Not to mention_, Conan began. It was the second time he had the same dream, the dream with the boy being electrocuted. Conan let out a shudder as the image flashed before his eyes. The boy's body, his body, twitching lifelessly on the operating table haunted him. Last time he had the dream, Conan had thought the surgeon was conducting ECT, electroconvulsive therapy. But now it felt much darker, much more sinister. Was the surgeon conducting some kind of experiment? Conan tried to shake the thoughts out of his head. What was he saying? It was just a dream. Like last time, there was no reason to psychoanalyze it. _Just a dream_.

Still, the issue lingered, sucking Conan's thoughts back in like a whirlpool.

Was the dream based on something? There were theories that claimed that dreams were a reflection of what happened during a person's day. Had he seen something like that? Not that he could remember, not even in a movie. But then what was it? What was causing the dreams? Was it a projection of his fears, his fears of being discovered by the Black Organization? Was his dream a reflection of what he thought would happen if the Black Organization caught him? That They would torture him for information?

_Matte, _Conan thought suddenly,_ the dream_…It wasn't exactly the same as the first time. Something was different about it. Something about the boy's behavior wasn't quite the same. But as if almost on cue, as soon as Conan tried to determine what, he felt the details of the dream slipping away. Despite his best efforts, the dream became like water in the palm of his hand, trickling away through the cracks between his fingers. What the room looked like, who was there, what happened, the details all vanished in a puff of smoke. Before long, all that was left was the image of a twitching body, the sound of screams, and the unpleasant taste in Conan's mouth.

Conan rubbed his temples absentmindedly, suddenly extremely tired.

_I should just forget about it and go back to sleep_, Conan thought. Conan glanced over at the clock; the face read 4AM exactly. With a sigh, Conan closed his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep. But horrific images flashed before his closed eyes, forcing him to open them again.

_Guess I'm not going to get much sleep today either._

* * *

**Three Hours Later**

* * *

"Alright," Kaito mumbled to himself as he sat in class, "something's definitely up." Kaito glanced over at Hakuba's seat, though obviously the Brit wasn't there. Nor had he been for the last two weeks. _What's he doing?_ Kaito thought, realizing just how strange it was for Hakuba to miss two straight weeks of school unannounced. Had something happened to the detective? Or worse, was Hakuba planning something? Perhaps working on a secret investigation? Maybe Hakuba was investigating into _his_ identity as KID? It wouldn't be the first time.

Kaito thought back to his previous heist, the one three weeks ago at the Beika Museum. Had he made any mistakes then? Left some damning evidence behind? Kaito shook his head; nothing came to mind. But thinking back to the museum heist, Kaito realized something else odd. Hakuba had been notably absent that night. What had been so important that the detective gave up a chance to catch the ever elusive Kaitou KID? Hakuba had certainly been back in Japan at the time; Kaito was sure of that. But then what? What had gotten the Brit's attention all of a sudden? Now Kaito was curious. And for sure, he was no cat. He'd get to the bottom of the matter; he find out Hakuba's little secret. After all, there was no stopping a curious Kaito.

Kaito waited until class was finally over before he approached Aoko. "Hey," he said, walking up to the girl.

"Hey, Kaito. Want to do math homework together later?" Aoko asked.

"Uh, sure," Kaito replied absentmindedly, trying to get to his question, "By the way, do you know what Hakuba's been up to? He's been absent a lot lately, hasn't he?"

"Why do you want to know?" Aoko asked, before looking at Kaito suspiciously, "Oh, I see now. You're getting lonely without having anyone to play with during school." Aoko let out a giggle.

"Ahoko! Do you know or not?" Kaito asked, ignoring the comment.

"Maybe I do," Aoko replied, obviously annoyed now, "But I wouldn't tell a person like you, Bakaito!"

"What's that?" Kaito asked, raising his voice. Before the situation escalated, however, Keiko interrupted.

"I heard he's off investigating some important case," Keiko said.

"Keiko! Thank you!" Kaito said, turning to leave. He could hear Aoko saying something in the background, something about how Keiko shouldn't have told _that annoying guy_ about Hakuba, but Kaito already moved his thoughts elsewhere. _A case, huh?_ Kaito thought silently. Was his suspicious grounded after all? Had Hakuba really found some evidence linking him to KID? That'd be nothing but trouble.

Kaito shook his head. Maybe it had nothing to do with Kaitou KID. It was too early to speculate, especially without any facts. _It's decided_, Kaito thought as he made his way home. He'd just have to do some investigating of his own.

"Maybe I'll take a page out of Tantei-kun's playbook," Kaito mused, a smirk forming on his face.

* * *

"Hello?" an old lady said as she picked up the phone.

"Ah, Baaya?" Kaito asked, mimicking Hakuba's voice perfectly.

"Bocchama? Is that you? I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon," the old lady said.

"You weren't?" Kaito began, but quickly corrected himself, "I mean, of course not. Why would you be? I told you I would be gone after all."

"Right, you told me you were on your way to some fancy hotel after you won that sweepstakes from the newspaper. I figured you wouldn't call until Monday," the old lady said.

"Ah, but that's exactly what I'm calling about, Baaya," Kaito said, "You see, I realized I didn't pack enough clothes for the weekend. I was hoping you could bring me some more."

"To the Twilight Hotel?"

"Yes," Kaito said, smiling at just how easy the conversation was going.

"Alright. As you wish, Bocchama."

"Thank you, Baaya," Kaito said, hanging up the phone. His plan had worked even better than expected. Not only was Hakuba gone, as he had expected, but he managed to get rid of the housekeeper as well. It was prime time to set his plan into motion.

"Now," Kaito said, "time to do some investigating."

He had said he would take a page out of Conan's playbook, and he would. He'd do some investigating, just...as a thief of course. "This is going to be fun," Kaito said, smiling as he tucked his lock-picking set into his jacket pocket. He walked out the door of his house and headed towards Hakuba's.

* * *

"Tadaima!" Conan said.

"Okaeri, Conan-kun!" Ran greeted, "How was your day at school?"

"Good," Conan replied, dropping off his backpack by the door. He didn't tell Ran that he could barely stay awake the entire day. Nor did he tell her that he couldn't fall asleep in class either because he saw horrible things every time he closed his eyes. She didn't need to know; it'd only worry her unnecessarily.

Conan's thoughts were interrupted by a holler from the mustached detective.

"Gah! I don't know!" Kogoro yelled, throwing the newspaper on the ground.

"What's wrong with Occhan?" Conan asked.

"Oh, it's some sweepstakes," Ran replied, "If you managed to solve a riddle and call in the answer, you win a free stay at the Twilight Hotel."

"A riddle?" Conan asked, picking up the newspaper. He read the riddle aloud:

I am the third oldest of many siblings. As such, I tend to be cold and hard sounding. With a select few, however, my voice becomes soft and serene.

Artemis, as it turns out, holds the greatest sway over me. She makes me rise and fall. But I do not love her.

People often say that I have seven children. The truth is that the number is much greater, perhaps over a hundred.

For my skills, I am quite good at doing the wave. When me and men pair together, we tend to make immature teenagers giggle.

Um, I is Japanese, in case you didn't know.

As for my job, I am in the business of being perceptive. Of all my co-workers, I am the most sensational. As such, people rely on me the most.

What am I?

_A trip to a hotel might not be so bad,_ Conan thought as he finished reading the riddle.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

1) To understand the point/meaning of the dreams, take heed of Conan's realization that the dream this time and last time are slightly different. Find the difference, find the meaning.  
2) Do you know the answer to the riddle? **Hint: I'll accept any of three possible answers.  
**3) Password to the manga piece has been posted on my profile. The password is: **onetruth**.  
4) Just wanted to thank all the guest reviewers! I can't respond in any feasible way, since including responses in the chapter would take up wayyy too much space. But I just wanted to let you guys know that I very much appreciate the reviews and comments and that I definitely read them! Thanks!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	27. Arc Three: Kaito's Feelings

**There were three answers to the riddle:**

1) The letter C

2) Sea

3) See

**Here's a breakdown:**

I am the third oldest of many siblings. As such, I tend to be cold and hard sounding. With a select few, however, my voice becomes soft and serene.

**C is the third letter of the alphabet. In most words, C has a hard sound (a "k" sound as in cold and car). In a select few, C has a soft sound (as in circus and center).**

Artemis, as it turns out, holds the greatest sway over me. She makes me rise and fall. But I do not love her.

**Artemis, as many people noted, is a reference to the moon. The moon causes the sea to rise and fall (ie. causes the waves).**

People often say that I have seven children. The truth is that the number is much greater, perhaps over a hundred.

**People often say that there are seven _seas_, but there are in fact many more than seven.**

For my skills, I am quite good at doing the wave. When me and men pair together, we tend to make immature teenagers giggle.

**Doing the wave should be obvious (the sea has waves). And if you don't get the second part...I'm not going to explain xP**

Um, I is Japanese, in case you didn't know.

**The correct way to read the sentence is "UMI is Japanese, in case you didn't know." where umi is the Japanese word for sea.**

As for my job, I am in the business of being perceptive. Of all my co-workers, I am the most sensational. As such, people rely on me the most.

**Business of being perceptive means sight/seeing. "See"ing is the most important sense, hence the most sensational, and people rely on "see"ing the most. **

What am I?

**The "C" sound, ie. C, Sea, See**

Now that I've made you groan from terrible puns, shall we proceed to the story? ;)

* * *

Since it's been a while, here's a **short recap** of the current story threads:

1. Conan was kidnapped (yeah, remember that? xD) over a month ago, but it is still unclear why.

2. The B.O. is currently in possession of nuclear codes and investing money into Human-Machine systems.

3. Conan is having a recurring nightmare of a boy, who looks like him, being tortured.

4. Haibara has realized that her mother was married to Vermouth's father, making the two of them step-sisters.

5. Hakuba has discovered Conan's identity as Kudo Shinichi and is currently investigating the matter.

6. Ran has a suspicion that Conan is Shinichi and is actively looking for proof.

7. Kaito has given Conan puppies and is currently trying to break into Hakuba's house.

So, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**Somewhere in Japan**

"Come in. Ah, Mead. I was just in the middle of reading your report. Please, sit."

"I hope it's to your satisfaction?"

"Well, aside from a few small hiccups, everything seems to be progressing smoothly. What is the C.C. coefficient?"

"Based on the vitals, it's sitting at roughly seventy-seven percent."

"That's fairly high for such a short exposure time. Are you sure the reading is accurate?"

"As you may already know, pain is a rather fast teacher."

"Ha! True enough. And what about the current emergence rate?"

"It is difficult to say. Resistance is causing a lot of noise in the analysis."

"Your best estimate then."

"Thirty percent? But as I said, it's difficult to tell-"

"Thank you for your hard work, Mead. You're dismissed."

"I'll get back to work then."

"Thirty percent. Just a little longer..."

* * *

"Ah, there it is," Kaito said to himself as he walked along the fairly deserted street leading to Hakuba's house. Kaito was carrying a backpack and dressed in a light blue T-shirt and jeans, which were perfectly suited for the warming weather of spring. Weather aside though, the outfit made him appear fairly generic, your average student, which was just what he wanted- to be as unmemorable as possible. On his head he wore a baseball cap, not that he had any interest in the sport. The cap was perfect, however, for obscuring his face. As Kaito eyed the fast-approaching house, he went over his plan one more time.

The plan was to sneak into Hakuba's house through a second floor window situated on the south side. A while back, when the detective had first began dropping hints - well, more like thinly veiled accusations- to the effect of Kaito being Kaitou KID, Kaito had taken it upon himself to stake out the detective's house, just in case of situations like this. After all, information was power in their little game of cop and robber. And finally, it seemed like his efforts were paying off.

During his observations, Kaito noticed that the front door was guarded with a security camera, leaving it quite inaccessible. It wasn't that Kaito couldn't just pick the lock and break in; he'd just rather keep the detective in the dark about the whole thing. And with the camera constantly watching the front door, there was no way to do that.

The house lacked a back door, which eliminated that possibility as well. And unless Kaito was Santa Claus, there was no way to get in through the chimney. Most of the usual entry points to the house were off limits then, which would have been a problem, except, there was the window on the south side.

As Kaito discovered, every two weeks on Friday, Baaya, as Hakuba called her, would open the south side window to aerate the house, let in some fresh air. This also meant that there would be an unguarded entry point into the house. That was Kaito's in, and…

"Today just happens to be Friday," Kaito said as he reached the house. Even from afar, it was easy to tell that the house belonged Hakuba. It stuck out like a sore thumb with its brick and mortar styled walls, clearly carried over from England. All the neighboring houses used generic vinyl siding.

Kaito took a quick glance around before slipping to the backside of the house, lightly hopping over the fence as he did so. The fence was easy to get over as it was one of those low, decorational fences. Once in the backyard, Kaito glanced up and noticed that the window was open, just as he had expected. And given the lack of a car out front, Kaito figured the housekeeper must have left already. That meant that he'd probably have two, maybe three, hours to do what he came to do. As he saw it, the housekeeper would probably take an hour to reach the Twilight Hotel and find Hakuba. As soon as Hakuba learned of the situation, that someone had intentionally called out the housekeeper, he'd definitely rush back to the house to investigate. The round-trip would be about two hours, which meant that Kaito had to be out before then.

_Simple enough_, Kaito thought as he put on a pair of gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. Conveniently, the baseball hat also prevented him from leaving hair fibers behind.

From his backpack, Kaito pulled out a grapple hook and launched it toward the window, the grapple hooking securely to the window sill. Kaito took one last look around to make sure there weren't any nosey neighbors before pulling himself up the side of the house using the rope attached to the grapple. Before long, he reached the window and pulled himself into the house. Once inside, Kaito took off his shoes to ensure that he didn't leave any dirty footprints.

"Ojama shimasu," Kaito called, knowing full well the house was empty. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at how easy it had been to gain entry.

Again reaching into his backpack, Kaito pulled out a small bottle of latex paint, matching the color of the wood on the window sill, and painted over the small marks left by the grapple hook. Kaito stood back and nodded his head a little, satisfied that no one could tell what happened. Then Kaito turned towards the room and looked around. He appeared to have entered through the study; piles of books were scattered around on tables and shelves. Kaito reached for the door, exiting the study and entering the hallway. Looking down the hall, Kaito noted that there were five doors, not counting the one he just opened. Stepping lightly, Kaito reached for the closest door, careful not to touch more than he needed to.

The first room on his left was, unexcitedly, a bathroom. Kaito was about to close the door before he paused, noticing the shampoo that was sitting by the shower. _Hakuba uses L'Oreal? I guess he's worth it_, Kaito snickered. For a moment, he was tempted to replace the shampoo with food coloring, just to see what would happen, but ultimately thought better of it and closed the door.

The next room on the right was a storage room of some kind and while Kaito would have loved to find out what the detective kept in storage- one can learn a lot about another person from his storage alone- Kaito was a bit on the clock. He closed the door and reached for the next one.

The third was the charm as Kaito finally found Hakuba's bedroom. It was immediately obvious to Kaito that the bedroom belonged to the detective as piles of books on criminology and newspaper clippings littered the room.

_Now, let's see what you've been up to_, Kaito thought, taking a step inside. Kaito was hoping he'd find that notebook Hakuba was always carrying around, the one that listed all the notes for the cases the detective had worked. Or maybe he'd be able to find a diary of some sort, anything to let Kaito know what the detective had been up to for the last two weeks. Kaito closed the door silently behind him and looked around; he noticed Hakuba's study desk and began walking towards it. Before he reached it, however, he was surprised by a sudden squawk, causing him to almost stumble. Kaito quickly turned around and saw that it was a hawk.

"Ah, right," Kaito mumbled. It was Watson, Hakuba's pet. The hawk stared at Kaito with beady little eyes, clearly suspicious of the stranger. The hawk's claws, which were rather sharp, could also be seen moving about restlessly. Fortunately for Kaito, the hawk happened to be behind metal bars, locked inside its cage.

"You're not nearly as lovable as Tantei-kun's Watson," Kaito said, his mind drifting to Conan and the two pups.

Kaito wondered how Conan and the two pups were getting along. Last he checked, they were becoming quite friendly with each other, but that had been nearly a week ago. Then, Kaito had watched as Conan brought the two pups, Holmes and Watson as he later learned, to the local park for a walk. During the walk, Holmes had managed to find its way into a puddle of mud and then promptly transferred all of it onto Conan's clothes. Kaito, looking on, had to stop himself from bursting into laughter, lest the detective realized his presence. It was good to see, though, that despite the pups' shenanigans, Conan had decided to retain ownership. Kaito had gone through a lot of work, after all, to transfer the pups into Conan's possession.

For an entire week, Kaito had trained the pups to locate the Mouri Detective Agency from anywhere in Tokyo. The training had gone well but just as the pups were ready to be given to Conan, Watson had managed to run free of its leash. Despite Kaito's best efforts, Watson was nowhere to be found and Kaito had been devastated. So his surprise was rather tangible when Kaito discovered that Watson had been found by Conan of all people. It was as if fate itself had given the pups over to Conan, and who was Kaito to fight fate. In fact, Kaito helped the "adoption" process along by blowing a dog whistle every time Conan tried to bring the pups to the pound. The whistle brought the pups back to Kaito, after which Kaito directed them back to the agency. Kaito figured Conan would get the hint that the pups were not to be impounded and sure enough, after two attempts, Conan gave up on bringing the pups to the pound and decided to the keep them.

In time, Kaito believed, the pups would become a valuable asset to the small detective. As the pups grew bigger, they would be able to follow Conan and protect him as the latter continued with his dangerous activities. And Kaito had no doubt Conan would continue to put himself in harms way in order to investigate cases. The bruising Kaito had seen from that time in the psychology office was the best proof, and had prompted his idea with the pups. Regardless of the consequences, Conan would continue to be the detective, and for some reason or other, Kaito felt obligated to ensure that the child didn't end up dead on the side of a road. It wasn't as though Kaito doubted Conan's abilities- the child was more resourceful than most adults- but there were insurmountable physical limitations to consider. Faced with an overwhelming physical threat, there was only so much Conan would be able to do. And that's where Kaito hoped Watson and Holmes would come into play, to try and keep Conan safe.

As for why he cared at all, that is, why he cared about what happened to Conan, Kaito wasn't quite sure himself. When he wasn't paying attention, Conan had somehow managed to grow on the thief. Maybe Kaito was draw to the curiosity of it all, the fact that a seven-year-old child could be so brilliant of a detective. Perhaps it was that, deep down, they both shared a love of the chase. Or perhaps Kaito just couldn't get enough of that deadpan sarcastic expression that he could so readily elicit from the child. Regardless of the reason, before he realized it, Kaito had developed an amicable relationship with the child. Though they'd never be "friends" per se, their contrasting occupations seemed to prohibit such a thing, they were certainly friendly rivals, frenemies. And Kaito was fine with that. He was fine with being at odds with the detective because it was more fun that way, because the chase broke the monotony of reality. It was a rather selfish reason to care; Kaito was the first to admit as much. But it was the truth. And that's why Kaito couldn't just let some thug threaten his favorite critic, that's why he had gotten Conan the pups.

A sudden squawk brought Kaito back to reality and away from his thoughts. Kaito turned and looked at the hawk. _Maybe its hungry?_ Kaito thought as he pulled out some seeds he had stocked for his doves. He held the seeds out in the palm of his hand but the hawk showed no intention of eating. Instead, it looked like it was about to peck Kaito's hand to pieces. Kaito quickly pulled his hand back, just as the hawk dived forward with its sharp beak.

"Naughty bird," Kaito said, putting the seeds away. He turned towards the desk again, realizing that he had already wasted enough time.

Kaito rummaged through the desk, pulling open each drawer. However, all he found were school supplies: pens, pencils, binders, filler paper, nothing that would indicate what Hakuba had been up to. There was no sign of a journal or notebook either. _Hakuba must have brought it to the hotel with him_. He then turned his attention to the desktop computer. _Maybe there are digital records?_ Kaito sat down on the leather desk chair and looked for the on-switch of the computer. Finding it, he pressed the button, causing the computer to whirl to life. As he waited for the computer to start up, he fidgeted around in the chair, finding it incredibly uncomfortable; Hakuba had set the chair to be stiff and completely upright. Kaito resisted the urge to adjust the chair; Hakuba would assuredly notice any changes.

After a while, something appeared on the computer screen; it was not a familiar logo, however.

"Ubuntu?" Kaito read, "What the heck is that?" Why couldn't Hakuba be like normal people and use either a Windows or a Mac? Fortunately, after the computer loaded, a familiar log in screen greeted Kaito. The cursor blinked expectantly in the password box.

"Hm," Kaito wondered, staring at the screen. He moved his gloved hands to the keyboard and started typing: K-A-I-T-O-U-K-I-D-I-S-S-U-P-E-R-S-P-E-C-I-A-L-A-W- E-S-O-M-E. Once finished, he pressed enter.

A little hourglass showed up on the screen as the computer processed his input. It soon turned to a big "X", indicating that he had entered the wrong password.

"Well, guess that wasn't it," Kaito said, not that he expected it to work. The situation was a legitimate dilemma though. He needed to get into the computer somehow. That's when a little sentence under the input box got his attention: Need a hint?

Kaito moved the mouse over and clicked. A little popup box appeared, with the line: Birthplace of Sherlock Holmes. Kaito smirked. _Got you._

* * *

"Conan-kun, Conan-kun," Ran called, shaking the boy.

Conan stirred, waking up from his nap. He had finally managed to close his eyes without seeing the boy from his dreams. Conan sat up and rubbed his eyes, letting out a yawn. "Ah, Ran-neechan," he said.

"Guess what Conan-kun," Ran said, a wide smile on her face.

"What?" Conan asked, still rather sleepy.

"We won a trip to the Twilight Hotel. The answer you told Otousan was right," Ran said.

"That's awesome, Ran-neechan!" Conan said with mock excitement. He had lost interest in going to the hotel ever since the mystery of the riddle had been solved. Or maybe it was the case that he was never really interested in going to the hotel. He just wanted to let someone else know that he knew the answer to the riddle.

"Isn't it, Conan-kun? We can stay there all weekend! And I hear there are cheery blossoms blooming there right now," Ran said, genuinely excited.

"It's for the whole weekend?" Conan asked. He groaned internally, the lazy side of him rearing its head. He'd much rather catch up on sleep and maybe kick a soccer ball around. Still, it seemed the matter was already decided.

"Yup. We're leaving tomorrow before noon so we can check in. And we'll stay there for a night. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Ran asked.

"Un," Conan said, getting up, "What about Holmes and Watson?"

"Hm," Ran said thoughtfully, "Well, maybe you can leave them with Agasa-Hakase?"

_Leave the two puppies with Haibara?_ _Ha. Ha,_ Conan thought sarcastically. Well, he could try to convince Haibara to do it.

* * *

"Why's there no answer on Wikipedia! Is this a trick question?" Kaito said, scratching his head in frustration. Kaito had thought it would be a simple case of looking up the answer on the internet. But for some reason, Wikipedia only listed Holmes' date of birth. There was nothing about a location. And while Kaito had tried every permutation of London and Britain, he still couldn't gain access to the computer.

Kaito stared at his phone and pouted, the Wikipedia page still on the screen. Was the hint just a dummy? That would be rather annoying. Kaito sighed and took a deep breath, trying to reset his thinking. There was probably an answer; he just had to figure it out.

"What is it that Tantei-kun always says? There's only one truth?" Kaito found himself saying mindlessly. As soon as the words left his mouth though, Kaito jolted upright in surprise. Good grief, he wasn't becoming a…a detective was he? Kaito shuddered at the thought.

"Although, speaking of detectives," Kaito mumbled. He had an idea.

* * *

"Ran-neechan, I'm going to take Holmes and Watson over to Hakase's," Conan said.

"Okay, Conan-kun. Make sure you're back before dinner," Ran replied.

Conan put a leash around each pup's neck as the pups themselves waited eagerly by the door. For the first time, Conan realized just how much the pups had grown in the last two weeks, both physically and in terms of how tamed they were. At least there wasn't a catastrophe awaiting him every time he returned from school.

Conan was about leave with the pups, his hand already on the door, when the phone suddenly rang. Kogoro picked it up.

"Hello, this is the Mouri Detective Agency," Kogoro said lazily, a look of disinterest across his face. The expression rapidly changed, however, when the person on the other end spoke. "A-a hundred thousand?!" Kogoro exclaimed. Conan turned around to see what the commotion was about. "Did you just say a hundred thousand yen?" Kogoro said again.

_What's Occhan doing now?_ Conan thought dubiously. Still, he lingered to see how things would progress. The caller was speaking again.

"What? How would I know something like that?" Kogoro said. The caller had evidently asked a question that the mustached detective didn't know. _Though that may not be so difficult to do_, Conan smirked.

"What is it, Ojisan?" Conan asked, moving closer like a fly to honey. He was curious now what the caller had wanted.

"Nothing, go on your way," Kogoro said, shooing Conan away. "Yes, I'm still here. And how would anyone know something like that?" Kogoro once again said into the phone. He paused to let the caller respond. Then he said, "Of course I've heard of Sherlock Holmes!"

_Holmes?_ Conan wondered, now even more curious than before. Was the caller asking about something related Holmes? "What'd they ask, Ojisan?" Conan tried once more.

"I said go away," Kogoro repeated, though it wasn't clear if his annoyance was with Conan or the caller, or perhaps both.

"Give Conan-kun a chance," Ran interrupted as she joined the conversation, "He got the riddle from the newspaper after all. And if it's about Holmes, I'm sure he'll know." Ran gave Conan a strange look to which Conan just laughed nervously. Kogoro grudgingly handed Conan the phone.

"Moshi moshi?" Conan said.

"Ah, hello. My name is Kita Douki. I'm calling about a phone sweepstakes. To who am I speaking?" the called asked.

"Edogawa Conan."

"Conan-kun, is it? Well, do you think you can solve this question?"

_So that's what this is about_, Conan thought. Although something about the caller bothered him. The voice seemed too friendly too fast, already calling him by his first name and using -kun. And then there was the fact that the voice sounded so very familiar, but Conan couldn't quite place it. "I'll try my best," Conan replied.

"Alright then. Here is the question. What is the birthplace of Sherlock Holmes?" Kita asked.

_Birthplace?_ Conan thought, _There's no specific mention of a birthplace in the Sherlock novels_. Conan was about to ask something when Kita interrupted.

"Ah, and here's a hint. The answer is not London or Great Britain."

_Not London I can understand. But surely Holmes was born somewhere in Great Britain. If that's not the answer, then is he looking for me to be as specific as possible?_ Conan scratched his head, the gears in his brain churning away.

A light bulb suddenly lit. "I know the answer," Conan said confidently.

"You do?"

"Yup, the answer is Beeton!" Conan replied, a wide grin on his face. He was sure this was the right answer.

"Can you please explain your answer."

Conan was all too happy to oblige. "Beeton was the place where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published his first Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet. Hence, it's Holmes' birth place!"

"I see. That makes sense," Kita said, as if unfamiliar with the explanation.

"Shouldn't you already know that though?" Conan asked, sensing the strange tone underlying the caller's words.

"Ah, what I mean is, that's a clever deduction, Conan-kun. Well. Thanks. Ja ne," Kita said, hanging up abruptly.

Conan slowly put down the phone, still puzzled at the strange behavior of the caller.

"Did you get it right?" Ran asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Un," Conan replied, "but then he just hung up."

"What?! What about my hundred thousand yen!" Kogoro exclaimed, frantically picking up the phone again.

_Ha. Ha._ Conan laughed silently before pausing. _Matte_. _Kita Douki. Now why does that name sound so familiar?_

Conan envisioned the letters in his mind, and they began rearranging themselves.

Kita Douki. Kati Douki. Kaitou KID?

_ Kaitou KID?_ Conan thought incredulously. Did Kaitou KID really just call him regarding a question about Holmes? _That'd just be absurd. Maybe I'm reading too much into it_, Conan thought, shaking his head.

* * *

B-E-E-T-O-N.

The hourglass reappeared, though this time is was followed by a "Welcome, Hakuba!" message.

"I'm in!" Kaito exclaimed in relief and then grinned. He knew he could count on Conan to know a question about Holmes. "Now," Kaito said, moving the mouse around, "let's see what you've been up to." Kaito doubled clicked the personal documents folder, which brought up several sub-folders. Each was labeled something different. There was "school work." There was one labeled "photos", which Kaito was extremely tempted to click on; he really wanted to see if Hakuba had any embarrassing photos but ultimately resisted and moved on. There was a folder labeled "music" and finally one labeled "private data".

Kaito grinned when he saw the "private data" folder. It was his specialty to make private things un-private. Kaito moved the mouse over the folder and double clicked. His grin quickly vanished though when he was prompted with another dialogue box, again asking for a password. _Maji de?_ Kaito thought. Why would anyone password protect a folder when the computer was already password protected?

Kaito stared at the box for a moment before typing B-E-E-T-O-N again and hitting enter. An audible buzz could be heard from the computer as it rejected the password. _Damn._

* * *

"Hello. I'm looking for a guest at the hotel," the old lady said to the hotel receptionist.

"What's the guest's name?"

"Saguru Hakuba," the old lady replied. But before the receptionist could search the name in her computer, a voice called out.

"Baaya?" It was Hakuba, who happened to be passing by the lobby of the hotel. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I've brought extra clothes for you," she said, holding up a suitcase.

"Extra clothes…" Hakuba said slowly, confused by the situation at first. Then suddenly understanding, he asked, "Baaya, you drove here right?"

"Yes, why?"

"We need to head back to the house. Right now," Hakuba said, already heading out of the hotel.

"What? I don't understand," the housekeeper replied, following close behind.

"I didn't call. Which means someone else called you out here on purpose to get you away from the house," Hakuba explained.

"But I'm sure the caller sounded just like you," the housekeeper elaborated.

Hakuba didn't respond though, his mind already racing ahead._ Someone able to mimic my voice exactly...c__hances are, it was Kaito KID_. _By why now of all times?_

* * *

"Ugh, I don't know," Kaito groaned, still staring at the empty password box. Worst of all, there wasn't even a hint this time. And it would be impossible to just guess the password.

He turned to look at his watch; an hour had passed already. Hakuba was probably on his way back. And he was probably well aware that it was Kaitou KID who had called his housekeeper. After all, the caller must have been able to sound enough like Hakuba to convince the housekeeper to leave and Kaitou KID was on the short list of people who could do that. Kaito was fine with Hakuba suspecting KID though. After all, there would be no evidence at the house as to KID's true intentions. If anything, the whole event would just frustrate the detective, and Kaito was perfectly content with that.

Still, Hakuba coming back also meant that he couldn't just hang around trying passwords until he found the right one. For now, he'd simply have to copy the file and try to gain access using his own computer back home. Kaito pulled out a flash drive from his pocket and plugged it into the computer. He then dragged the folder he wanted to copy over to his flash drive. A box showed up on the screen with an estimated time until completion: 45 minutes.

"Holy-" Kaito heard himself say. How much "private" data did Hakuba have? Kaito hoovered the mouse over the folder. 125GB. "Crap, this is going to be tight," Kaito mumbled, again looking at his watch.

* * *

"Please explain to me why I have to take care of _your_ puppies?" Haibara asked, staring at the two pups skeptically.

"C'mon Haibara, it's just for a weekend. Two days," Conan said, practically shoving the leashes into Haibara's hands. Haibara sighed and reluctantly took them.

"Okay fine," she said as a sudden, but rather devious, smile crossed her lips, "but if I can't guarantee they won't end up as guinea pigs for one of my experiments."

"Oi," Conan said, knowing that Haibara was joking, mostly. He handed Haibara the backpack that he was carrying. "There should be enough food for two days in there as well as a couple of toys for them to play with," Conan said.

Haibara took the bag and placed it on the ground, unzipping it as she did so. She peered inside to check the contents and pulled out a plush doll. "Is this supposed to be me?" Haibara asked rather sarcastically as she held up the doll, which was falling apart. The doll only had one eye and the stuffing was coming out, likely due to all the chewing it had received.

"It does look kind of like you, doesn't it?" Conan said, drawing a death-glare from Haibara. "It's a joke! A joke!" Conan quickly said, hoping that he wouldn't become the guinea pig in place of the pups.

"This isn't going to be a regular thing, alright?" Haibara said, picking up the backpack with one hand, leashes in the other.

"Of course not!" Conan reassured.

Haibara only gave him a skeptical look before bringing the pups inside.

* * *

Hakuba found himself staring out the window the entire trip back, though he wasn't looking at anything in particular. In fact, his eyes were rather unfocused as he mulled over the problem before him. What was KID doing, pretending to be him and calling Baaya? Was he trying to break into the house? But why now of all times and what was he looking for? The questions swirled around in Hakuba's head but answers were slow in coming.

As the car pulled up to the house, Hakuba got out and walked the perimeter, trying to see if anything was out of place. When he got to the back, he instantly noticed that the window on the second floor was open.

"Baaya, was the south side window open when you left?" Hakuba asked, coming around front to the car once again.

"I always leave it open for a bit to aerate the house, Bocchama," Baaya explained.

_That's KID's in then_, Hakuba thought, _Which also means..._The video feed out front wouldn't catch anything. _Damn_. He was careless.

After assessing the situation outside, Hakuba ran inside and began checking the house from bottom to top. He checked every room, every nook and cranny, but unsurprisingly, there was no sign of KID. Finally, he went back to his own room and sat down on his chair. He swirled it around, thinking for a moment. _What was KID after?_ Hakuba shifted his glance over to Watson and the bird eyed him curiously.

"If only you could speak, my friend," Hakuba mused. Watson squawked, as if in reply.

* * *

Kaito watched as the car drove past him, making sure to keep his head titled at an angle so that the baseball cap obscured his face.

"Looks like I made it just in time," Kaito said, breathing a sigh of relief. His hand fingered the flash drive in his pocket, causing a smile to appear on his face.

_Now, let's see what Hakuba's been up to_, Kaito thought as he made his way back home.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Apologies if it feels like the plot is slowly grinding along (which it kind of is). But just think of this as the calm before the storm, or something like that :)

As many people have requested, here's a more lengthy explanation of how Kaito currently sees Conan. The pups' strange behaviors has also been explained. It was all thanks to Kaito's careful *coughstalkingcough*, I mean, observations. Anyways...

See you guys in the next chapter!


	28. Arc Three: Secrets

I don't own DC.

* * *

"Bocchama? Bocchama?" the old lady called as she approached Hakuba, causing him to turn his attention away from the window.

"Yes?"

"Is everything alright? You said someone broke into the house. Would you like me to call the police?" the housekeeper asked, looking concerned.

"No, that won't be necessary," Hakuba said as he knelt back down in front of the window sill. He slid a finger across the surface of the sill, feeling the smooth texture of fresh paint. Someone had definitely entered through the window and the paint was probably to mask whatever trick was used to get in. If Hakuba had to guess, he'd say Kaitou KID used a grappling hook of some sort. The question, though, was _why_. After nearly a year of animosity between them, why had KID suddenly decided to rob his house? Or perhaps it wasn't robbery at all, given that everything seemed accounted for.

Hakuba stood up and let his eyes wander over to the scenery beyond the window. _I could just call Kuroba-kun about the break-in and test his reaction_, Hakuba thought, but then shook his head, deciding against it. The thief was surprisingly good at keeping his emotions concealed, putting on a poker face, so to speak. _Plus, Kuroba-kun probably knows that I know,_ Hakuba reasoned. It only followed that the call would come as no surprise to the thief and thus, there was nothing to be gained from calling.

Hakuba sighed, trying to decide what to do next. _Maybe I can call Keiko?_ For some time now, Keiko had acted as Hakuba's source of information about Kaito's activities, the former being friends with Kaito's friend, Aoko. Naturally, it would seem suspicious if Hakuba were constantly asking Aoko with regards to Kaito's activities. But with Keiko, there was two degrees of separation. And sometimes, Keiko would let slip some very interesting information about Kaito. _For example, a certain aversion to fish,_ Hakuba mused, wondering how he could apply the information against the thief.

"Bocchama?" the housekeeper called, breaking Hakuba out of his thoughts.

"Ah, shall we go have some dinner, Baaya?" Hakuba suggested, walking past the housekeeper and towards the stairs.

"Alright. What would you like to eat tonight?"

Hakuba was about to respond when the phone in his pocket suddenly rang. "Hello?" Hakuba asked, putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello. This is Yukiko Nagashi, the coordinator of the Twilight Hotel Riddle Contest. We are having an early-bird reception tonight to celebrate all the people who managed to solve our riddle. Will you be attending?"

_Right,_ Hakuba thought. He had completely forgotten about the Twilight Hotel in his rush to get home. In fact, his luggage was still sitting in the hotel room. "What time is the reception?"

"8PM."

"Okay. I'll be there," Hakuba said, hanging up the phone. Hakuba glanced at his watch; it was almost seven. "Change of plans, Baaya. I need you to bring me back to the Twilight Hotel."

* * *

Kaito walked through the door, happy to be home again, but feeling incredibly exhausted. The plan had turned out more exciting than he anticipated, what with him almost being discovered by the Brit on his way out. Still, at least he had gotten something for his troubles.

Kaito reached into his pocket and pulled out the flash drive, a smirk forming across his face. The folder labeled "private data" probably held all kinds of goodies and just thinking about uncovering all of Hakuba's little secrets made Kaito giddy. Of course, there was a snag; the folder was password protected.

"How am I going to get in?" Kaito mumbled, as he headed towards the stairs leading to the second floor. On his way, he passed by the kitchen and grabbed some snacks, stuffing them into his pocket in case he got hungry later.

Once upstairs, Kaito dropped himself in front of the computer and turned it on. He plugged in the flash drive and clicked on the folder once it appeared. The familiar password box emerged, awaiting his input.

"It's not Beeton," Kaito said to no one in particular. "Maybe it's Sherlock?" Kaito typed S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K and pressed enter, but the computer quickly rejected his guess.

"Holmes? London? Britain?" Kaito tried each guess in succession but to little avail. Each time, he was only reward with the buzzing of the computer, indicating that he had entered the wrong password.

_This isn't working, _Kaito realized,_ Maybe I need a different approach._

Kaito wondered if he could brute force the password; his mind began running the calculations. "Well, most people typically use eight letter passwords or less, and if we were to assume the password is alphanumeric, and a guessing rate of one guess per second, that would give-" Kaito paused as the gears in his mind churned. "-About 90,000 years to go through all the possible combinations. Hm," Kaito said, rubbing his chin, "I don't know if I can wait that long." Kaito sighed, leaning his head on his hand as he tried to think of a better plan.

"If I were Hakuba, what would I use as a password?" Kaito said mindlessly as he stared at the screen. "Wait, that's it!" he realized, eyes widening slightly. To figure out the password, he'd first have to figure out Hakuba; Kaito searched his mind for the right words.

"Well, he's meddlesome and annoying," Kaito pointed out, but then shook his head. "Be objective," he told himself; Hakuba wouldn't seem himself as meddlesome and annoying, probably.

"Well, he's-" Kaito began, but then paused, realizing the task was much harder than he had thought it would be. A sudden mental block gripped him; he felt like one of those fanfiction writers who couldn't quite keep characters IC, not for lack of trying, but simply due to a sudden inability to characterize.

Why couldn't he think of the words? He had been in the same class as the detective for what seemed like forever. And in his mind, the detective was so clear to him, so blatantly obvious. But as soon as he tried to vocalize it, the words escaped him. And it was rare for Kaito to be at a loss for words.

"Well, he's-" Kaito tried again, racking his brain for all the possible qualities a person could possess. "-persistent," Kaito finally said. That was one way to put it, and it was certainly more objective than meddlesome. "Let's see, he's also," Kaito continued, "confident." In fact, all the detectives he'd met- Hakuba, Heiji, Conan- had the distinctive quality of being confident, bordering over-confident: confident in the clues, confident in the deductions, confident in themselves.

"Matte," Kaito muttered, deep in thought. Confidence. Self-confidence. If Kaito was reasoning correctly, then perhaps the password to the folder was much simpler than he thought. After all, Hakuba would be confident that no one would be able to gain access to his computer in the first place, let alone the files inside.

"So then, this should work," Kaito said as he began typing.

S-A-G-U-R-U-H-A-K-U-B-A

"But Hakuba's also annoyingly cautious. Would it really be so easy?" Kaito said as his finger lingered over the enter key. But then with a shrug, figuring he had nothing to lose, Kaito pressed down. The computer took a moment to process his request. Then Kaito was greeted with ding as the password was accepted and the folder opened.

"Maji?" Kaito said in disbelief as he blinked a few times to make sure his eyes weren't fooling him. When his success finally hit him, Kaito leaped out of the chair and threw a fist into to air, "Yosha! Now, let's see what Hakuba's been hiding."

The folder "private data" contained several other folders, each labeled with generic names like "001", "002", "003", etc. It was impossible to tell what was inside each folder without clicking, so Kaito did just that. Kaito moved the mouse over the first folder, "001", and double clicked, causing a new window to open. Inside was a list of images, numbering well into the thousand.

"Oh, embarrassing pictures of Hakuba?" Kaito smirked as he moved to click the first one in the list. An image appeared on his screen, causing Kaito's eyes to open a little wider in surprise. "This is-!"

* * *

"Tadaima!" Conan called as he stepped through the door to the agency. Immediately, he noticed Kogoro passed out on the couch, drunk. _Oi, oi_, Conan thought. He'd only been out for, what, an hour? How had Kogoro managed to get himself drunk so quickly? Conan sighed as he walked past the hopeless detective, the latter mumbling something about Yoko-chan in his sleep, and moved to the kitchen, where he found Ran, busy reading a book.

"Tadaima, Ran-neechan," Conan said.

"Okaeri, Conan-kun," Ran said, looking up from her book, "Did Agasa-hakase agree to take care of Watson and Holmes for the weekend?"

"Un," Conan nodded, "By the way, Ran-neechan, what are you reading?"

"It's a cook book. I'm trying out a new recipe. Would you like to help?" Ran asked, giving Conan a smile.

Him, help with dinner? _Well, I can try_, Conan thought as he gave Ran a nod.

"Make sure you wash your hands first," Ran instructed, "And then you can help cut the carrots."

"Hai!" Conan said, moving to the sink to wash his hands.

When was the last time he had helped Ran with dinner? Probably eleven, twelve years ago, back when he was, well, an actual child. _We had been making…_Conan thought, getting lost in the memory.

_Beef stew?_

_That's right, Shinichi-kun. Ran will be making stir fry. And you will be helping me with the beef stew. Does that sound good?_

_Hai, Obasan._

_What was that Shinichi-kun?_

_Er, I mean, Kisaki-ojousan._

_Oh good, that's what I thought you said._

"Ha. Ha," Conan laughed silently as the memory ended. His mother and Eri were surprisingly similar, despite one being an actress and the other a lawyer. Well, at least when it came to being called an "obasan".

Conan turned and looked over at Ran, the latter busy cutting some chicken. For a moment, Conan was mesmerized by the skillful cuts, the way that the knife just seemed to flow in Ran's hands, and the effortless expression on Ran's face. _She's definitely changed_, Conan thought, realizing how much Ran's cooking had improved since when they were children. Well, he was still a child, but that was beside the point.

The first time Ran had made stir fry, it was…quite terrifying to eat. Ran had added too much salt and there was the hint of some mysterious ingredient present…bubble gum possibly? Needless to say, the dish was inedible, and he had told her as much, much to the latter's disappointment. Now though, Ran's cooking was superb. Still staring at Ran, Conan could feel a faint smile form on his face.

"Conan-kun," Ran said, looking up from what she was doing.

"Nani?"

"You're not cutting them properly," Ran said, walking over and picking up a carrot piece Conan had cut. The piece was far from being any recognizable shape though and it wasn't even clear how Conan had managed to achieve such a cut with a knife. It looked more like Conan had simply smashed the carrot against the counter top and hoped for the best.

"Here, I'll show you," Ran said, taking Conan's small hands in her own as she began going through the motions. Conan could feel himself blush from the physical contact; he looked up from the cutting board and into Ran's face. Ran looked relaxed, a faint smile lingering at the edge of her lips. Conan couldn't help but feel himself smile in response. But then her expression changed when she noticed Conan staring.

"W-what?" Ran stuttered, also starting to blush.

"A-ah, nothing," Conan quickly said, looking away. He looked down, though, when he felt a small prick in his finger. "Itai," Conan said, noticing that Ran had accidentally cut his finger when she was distracted. A small droplet of blood oozed out from the cut.

"Ah! Gomen, Conan-kun!" Ran said hurriedly as she put down the knife, "I'll go get the first aid kit."

It wasn't long before Ran returned, Band-Aid in hand. "There," Ran said as she wrapped it around Conan's finger.

"Arigato, Ran-neechan," Conan said, giving Ran a smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ran asked, looking unnecessarily worried.

"I'm fine," Conan reassured, "It's just a small cut. Nothing big."

"You've always been like this," Ran mumbled under her breath, a solemn look across her face.

"What's that, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked, wondering what was up with Ran all of a sudden.

"Ah, nothing, Conan-kun," Ran said, changing her expression to a smile, "Just promise me something, okay?" Conan's look told her to continue. "Please be careful."

"Ran-neechan," Conan said softly, looking into Ran's eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

But before he got a chance to, Ran said, "Now, shall we get back to making dinner, Conan-kun? I'm sure Otousan will be starving when he wakes up." Ran let out a small laugh and moved back to the counter. Conan couldn't help but look on as Ran walked away, feeling the weight of the heavy air. _Be careful? _Conan repeated in his head. Needless to say, Ran was probably not referring to their cooking exercise.

"Ran," Conan repeated.

* * *

"Here's the deal, you two," Haibara said, looking at the two pups. "Number one. There will be three meals a day." Haibara held up three fingers just to emphasize the point. "That means no junk food. Number two. No peeing inside the house. Number three. No sleeping on my bed. Understood?"

Watson and Holmes looked up at Haibara curiously, the former giving a bark and wagging its tail. Haibara just sighed and sat down on the ground. Instantly, the two pups rushed over and started covering her in licks.

"Haha, okay, I get it," Haibara said, "I'll let you have some snacks." To that, Watson and Holmes both let out a bark. "Still no sleeping on my bed though," Haibara said as she picked up the chewed up doll. Instantly, the two pups began jumping around in excitement. "You want to play fetch?" Haibara asked, noticing the pups' wagging tails. "Here!" Haibara said, throwing the doll as far as she could manage. The two pups dashed after it, in a race to see which one could get it first. "Fetch, huh?" Haibara said as she thought about the doll, her expression growing serious. _Which hound is going to come fetch me?_ Haibara thought sardonically. _  
_

* * *

"This is," Kaito began, a bemused smirk crossing his face, "So this is what Hakuba thinks about at night. Well, at least he has good taste in something," Kaito said, looking at the image of a blonde on the screen, "Wow, she's pretty cute." The mouse went to click on the next image, and then the next one. It wasn't what Kaito was expecting but it was entertaining nonetheless. _So Hakuba has thousands of these, eh?_ Kaito snickered to himself. Kaito made sure to make a mental note of Hakuba's "type", in case the information came in handy later. _You never know_, Kaito thought to himself.

A sudden noise from the door pulled Kaito's attention away from the screen. "Kaito? Are you in there?" a voice called.

_Aoko? What's she doing here?_ Kaito wondered as he quickly closed the images. He managed to finish just as Aoko walked through his bedroom door.

"Kaito? Why is it so dark in here?" Aoko asked, noticing Kaito.

"Baka, I was watching a movie," Kaito replied, walking towards Aoko to draw attention away from his computer.

"Oh, what movie?"

"Nothing interesting," Kaito said, pushing Aoko out the door and closing it behind him. It'd be troublesome if she found out what he was actually doing.

"And what's with that bulge in your pants?" Aoko said, looking down. _Bulge?_ Kaito thought, following Aoko's line of sight.

"Oh! It's just some snacks. You want some?" Kaito said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some food.

"Uh, no thanks," Aoko said, shaking her head. Kaito shrugged and put the food back in his pocket.

"So, what are you doing here?" Kaito asked. Aoko gave him a strange look before answering.

"You promised to do the calculus homework with me, remember?" she said.

"Oh, right," Kaito said. He had completely forgotten, what with breaking into Hakuba's house and all. Kaito glanced back at his room, wishing that he could continuing going through the files.

"What's up, Kaito?" Aoko asked, noticing his hesitation.

"Ah, nothing, let's go downstairs," Kaito suggested, dragging Aoko down the stairs. They set up their stuff in the family room and got to work on the homework. The teacher had been feeling particularly cruel lately, assigning a hundred calculus problems to do over the weekend. The two worked quietly for a while before Aoko broke the silence.

"Ne, Kaito," Aoko began, clearly something on her mind.

"Yeah?" Kaito replied, not looking up from the textbook.

"You've been going to Tokyo a lot recently, haven't you?" Aoko asked. At that, Kaito looked up.

"I guess," Kaito said, wondering why Aoko was suddenly bringing it up.

"What have you been doing there?"

_Observing Tantei-kun._ "Oh you know, this and that," Kaito said, shooting Aoko a mischievous grin.

"You haven't been doing lewd and perverted things there, have you?" Aoko said angrily, her face forming a pout.

Kaito burst into laughter. "Nothing of the sort. I was just helping out an acquaintance of mine," Kaito said. _Well, it's kind of the truth._

"Helping out with what?" Aoko pressed.

"Uh, well," Kaito paused, scratching his head as he tried to buy some time to make up a lie. It wasn't like he could tell Aoko what he was actually doing. "I was helping him learn some magic."

"Magic?"

"Yeah, he's really interested in magic," Kaito said. _Interested in solving the trick, at any rate. _"So he asked me to teach him."

"That's awfully nice of you."

"What can I say, I'm an awfully nice guy," Kaito retorted.

"Uh huh," Aoko said, giving Kaito a dubious look.

"What? You don't believe me?" Kaito said in mock anger.

"No, no, I believe you," Aoko said, laughing. Kaito burst into laughter too. "I'm glad Kaito is still Kaito," Aoko said abruptly as the laughter died down.

"What's that?" Kaito asked, noticing that the serious expression had returned to Aoko's face.

Aoko just shook her head. "It's nothing. Just-" she paused, "You've seemed kind of distracted lately, like a person obsessed with something. I thought something might have happened in Tokyo, but maybe I just over-thinking things."

_She thinks I'm obsessed with Tantei-kun?_ Kaito shook his head. Entertained was more like it. "I'm fine. And besides, aren't you the one acting strangely?" Kaito smirked.

"I'm serious, Kaito. We haven't fought in class; you don't go around playing tricks on people; you don't even try to see my panties anymore," Aoko said.

Kaito just shrugged at the remark. "That's because I already know the pattern. Pink on Monday, white on Tuesday-"

Kaito didn't get to finish before Aoko jumped up angrily. "Bakaito!" she yelled.

"Ah, there's the Aoko I know," Kaito said, his grin getting bigger.

"Ha? What's that?" Aoko said angrily, a mop coming out of nowhere.

"Hey, let's calm down and talk about the like civilized people," Kaito said, also getting up and moving slowly away from the angry girl with the mop.

"Are you calling me uncivilized?" Aoko raged, swinging the mop at Kaito. Kaito leaped out of the way and started running. "Come back here, Bakaito!" Aoko yelled. The chase went on for a few minutes before both parties dropped to the ground, exhausted.

"Ne, let's go watch a movie or something," Kaito said between pants.

"What? What about the calculus homework?" Aoko asked, equally tired.

"Later, later. It's Friday night. There's plenty of time left to do the homework," Kaito said, getting up. He offered a hand to Aoko. "Shall we go?" Aoko blushed and stood up by herself, brushing Kaito's hand away.

"Hmph, Bakaito," Aoko said, though Kaito could detect the hint of a smile on her face.

"Ahoko," Kaito said, following Aoko out the door.

* * *

**Three Hours Later**

* * *

"So what'd you think of the movie?" Aoko asked as they stepped out of the theatre.

"Eh, it was okay," Kaito replied. Frankly, he almost fell asleep. The movie had been one of those slice-of-life romantic comedies, minus the part about it being funny. But Aoko had seemed to enjoy it, so that was good enough. The two of them headed back to Kaito's house so Aoko could pick up her things. Then Kaito walked Aoko back to her house.

"You didn't have to follow me, you know," Aoko said, evidently still angry from before. Kaito just shrugged and watched as Aoko was about to go inside. She paused at the door, however, and turned around.

"See you Monday, Kaito," she said.

"Ja ne," Kaito replied, starting to walk away. He didn't get far before he felt a tug on the back of his shirt.

"Wait," Aoko said, pulling him back.

"Ahoko!" Kaito managed before he lost his footing, falling backwards against Aoko. Aoko ended up back to the wall of the house, with Kaito on top of her. Instantly the two of them blushed at their predicament, each staring into the eyes of the other.

"Ne, Kaito," Aoko finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "Do you-"

Kaito's eyes opened wide. _I-is this...is this a confession?!_ Kaito felt his face draw closer, their noses almost touching.

"Do you-" Aoko began again.

_Do I-? _Kaito repeated mentally.

"Do you think you're ready for next month's magic show? You're performing right?" she hastily finished.

"Hai?" Kaito asked in surprise. He took a step back and burst into laughter.

"W-what?" Aoko asked, turning red.

"It's nothing," Kaito said, shaking his head, "Anyways, a magician is always ready." Kaito flicked his wrists, pulling out a rose from thin air. He gave it over to Aoko and turned to leave. "Goodnight, Aoko," Kaito said.

"Goodnight, Bakaito," Aoko whispered, holding the rose in her hand. She couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Hey guys, sorry 'bout the long delay. Been feeling rather unmotivated with the story lately and I think it's affecting the quality. Maybe I'll take a break for a while and do something else, clear my head a bit. Ah but don't worry, I'll finish the story, probably.

Anyways, I wanted to ask you guys a simple question and I'd really appreciate it if you could answer either in the reviews or by sending me a PM. So my question is this.

**Do you think the plot is progressing 1) Too slowly 2) Just right 3) Too quickly 4) If you can think of another possible response to this question, feel free use it.**

Personally, I think it's a little slow going, but then, this is the character development portion of the story. Anyways, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Thanks in advance!


	29. Arc Three: And More Secrets

**A/N:** Just wanted to say thanks for all the encouraging reviews :) Don't worry. I'll definitely finish this story. In fact, since summer is fast approaching, I'm hoping to release chapters at a faster rate so that this story doesn't take forever to finish. Anyways, thanks for the support and reviews! Please keep letting me know what you think, either via review or PM! On to the story!

* * *

As Gin checked his watch, a noticeably annoyed expressed appeared on his face. The time was already 11:05, less than an hour before midnight. The agreed upon time was 11:00PM sharp. Vodka was late. And if there was one thing Gin couldn't tolerate when it came to operations, it was tardiness. After all, timing was crucial to any and every operation; one minute, even one second, could mean the difference between success and failure. Gin reached into his pocket for his phone, about to dial Vodka's number, when a sturdy man dressed in black made an abrupt entrance into the bar. Gin looked up and noticed the man; the latter scanned around the room and, upon finding Gin, rushed over. Without pause, he took a seat and checked his watch, groaning when he realized the time.

"I'm sorry, Aniki. There was," Vodka began, but Gin put up a hand and cut him off.

"Save it," Gin said coolly, "Let's begin the debriefing. How did the job go?" Gin looked over at his partner, emerald eyes piercing even through Vodka's dark sunglasses.

Vodka shuffled in his seat uncomfortably, aware that he was being analyzed. Anything he said, anything he did, even the smallest twitch, Gin would commit to memory, use in the future. Vodka knew. He knew how dangerously calculating his partner could be. Gin's predictions always came true, as if he had a crystal ball. Vodka only knew of one other person with such an ability, and that was the boss. The things the two of them knew, Vodka shuddered at the thought.

"Hurry up with the report," Gin said, particularly short on patience.

"Right, Aniki," Vodka said, continuing, "One million shares of United Energy have been bought, just as you ordered. The shares were bought using several aliases so that the board of directors wouldn't notice. With this, we now control forty-two percent of the company." Vodka looked over at Gin, thinking he'd be pleased with the results. But Gin's face was stoic, giving nothing away; Vodka wondered if he did something wrong again.

Finally, Gin spoke. "Good," he said simply, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Ne, Aniki," Vodka started.

"What?" Gin asked gruffly.

"Why are we buying United Energy stocks?"

For the first time since Vodka arrived, a smirk made its way onto Gin's face. "You wouldn't understand even if I explained it," he said, taking a drag of the cigarette. When Vodka didn't seem satisfied with the answer, Gin added, "It's all according to plan."

Apparently that was good enough, or Vodka had lost interest. Either way, he shrugged and pulled out a manila envelope from inside his coat. He slid it over to Gin. "Since you weren't at the executives' meeting, Mead told me to give you this," Vodka explained.

Gin opened the envelope and pulled out the stack of paper that was tucked inside. He took one glance at the top page and laughed.

"What's so funny, Aniki?" Vodka asked.

"Nothing," Gin said curtly as he read the rest of the document. _C.C. coefficient? Emergence? What utter nonsense, _Gin thought to himself. He couldn't decide if he was frustrated or amused at the sheer stupidity of the report in his hands. They had spent so many resources, employed amateurs, endangered the secrecy of the organization...and for what? A brat? Just what was the boss thinking? _Maybe the old man's finally going senile. _Gin laughed once more as he returned the pages back into the envelope.

"You're not going to finish reading?" Vodka asked.

"There's no point," Gin said, tucking the envelope into his own coat. _Besides, there's no way I'd just let him do as he pleases._ "Shall we get going then?"

"Okay, Aniki," Vodka said, getting up and following Gin out the door.

* * *

Someone was calling his name, calling for him to wake up. But who would he wake up as? Shinichi? No...the voice was calling for Conan.

"Ohayou, Ran-neechan," Conan said as he opened his eyes, automatically adopting his child persona. He noticed that Ran was kneeling beside him.

"Mou, Conan-kun," Ran said, pulling him off the couch, "I thought you woke up already but then you just fell back asleep here."

"Gomen, Ran-neechan," Conan apologized though sleepiness was still evident in his voice. He let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up.

"Are you alright, Conan-kun? Did you have a bad night's sleep?" Ran asked, looking worried.

"I'm fine, Ran-neechan. I think I must have just slept in the wrong position or something," Conan lied, not telling her about the nightmare he had last night. Though the dream was disturbing, just like before, what worried Conan more was the increasing frequency. Recurring dreams should become less frequent over time, not more.

Ran gave Conan a look but when he continued to insist that he was fine, she relented. "Alright, well, breakfast is ready," she said. Conan gave a nod and walked over to the dining table where the food was already set. Scrambled eggs and some toast- it was an American-styled breakfast. "Would you like orange juice or milk, Conan-kun?" Ran asked as she headed to the kitchen.

"Orange juice is fine," Conan said, picking up the toast and nibbling on it absentmindedly.

_What do you want from me? _the boy in his dream had asked. But there was never a response, never an answer, only the jolting electric shock. _What does it all mean?_ Conan thought to himself. Why was he having the same nightmare over and over? Conan wondered if he should go to the library and check out a book on the subject. After all, the nightmares were becoming debilitating. Not only was he suffering from a lack of sleep, but even when he was awake, Conan was distracted and unable to concentrate. The boy's screams echoed in his ears; the boy's pained expression flashed before his eyes. The nightmare was seeping into Conan's reality, and that was a problem.

"Here you go," Ran said, putting down a glass of orange juice on the table. "Conan-kun?" she called when the child didn't respond.

"Oh, Ran-neechan. Arigatou," Conan said, pulling away from his thoughts. He picked up the glass, took a sip, and returned it to the table. "Ne, Ran-neechan, are these new glasses?" Conan asked, noticing that he had never seen them before.

"They were on sale yesterday, so I bought a couple."

"I see," Conan said and that was the extent of the conversation. The rest of breakfast went by quietly.

"Thank you for the food," Conan said as he finished. He stood up and was about to leave when Ran stopped him.

"Oh, Conan-kun, can you help me carry these to the kitchen?" Ran asked, pointing to the two empty glasses. Conan nodded and picked them up; Ran carried the empty plates. "Thanks, Conan-kun," Ran said when he had deposited them in the sink, "Don't forget to pack, alright?"

"Hai!" Conan said, trying to muster up as much energy as he could manage and then trotted off to his room to pack for the trip. Ran, on the other hand, lingered in the kitchen, and then, looking around to make sure no one was watching, took the two glasses out of the sink and with her into the bathroom. She quietly closed the door behind her and locked it, ensuring that she wouldn't be disturbed. She put the two glasses down into the bathroom sink, careful to touch only the rims of the glass. Then from inside her sweatshirt, she pulled out a Ziploc bag. Inside the bag were several sheets of transparent laminating paper, the self-adhesive kind. There was also a container of aluminum powder.

"So, I just sprinkle this onto the glass," Ran said, recalling what she had read online about pulling fingerprints off glass. She took the aluminum powder out of the bag, but then hesitated, wondering if she was really doing the right thing. She felt like she was doing something rather underhanded, being that she was hiding in the bathroom and all. And even if it really worked, would she truly be happy? The question lingered in the back of Ran's mind as she dusted the glass for prints. Suppose Conan's fingerprints did match Shinichi's, would she really want to know? Until now, her suspicions had been just that, suspicions. And as such, there was no reality to them. But if the fingerprints did match, that would be irrefutable evidence that Conan and Shinichi were the same person. Would she be emotionally ready for such a conclusion?

Ran held the laminating sheets up to the light, the fingerprints appearing as ten black dots on the otherwise transparent paper- five from the glass Conan had been using, five from her glass after she wiped it down and had Conan carry it to the kitchen. Suddenly, Ran realized just how small the prints looked._Obviously they'd be small. Conan-kun's only seven_, Ran thought as she inspected each print. She was interrupted by a knocking on the door though.

"Ran-neechan, are you in there? I need to use the bathroom," the voice said. It was Conan-kun.

"Just one second," Ran said, quickly tucking the laminating sheets and aluminum powder into her sweatshirt. She hid the glasses behind her with one hand and used the other to open the door. "Here you go, Conan-kun," Ran said, rushing out of the bathroom.

"That was weird," Conan mumbled to himself as he closed the door behind him. In fact, Ran had been acting strangely for a while now. And Conan was pretty sure it had to do with her suspicions that he was Kudo Shinichi. The question, though, was why she hadn't mentioned it yet. It was so unlike Ran to keep it bundled away, to act so secretively. Conan sighed as he lowered the toilet lid and sat down, problem after problem weighing on his mind. He reached into his pocket for his cellphone and dialed a number. It rang a few times before someone picked up. "Hey, Hattori?" Conan said into the phone.

"Yo, Kudo! I was wondrin' when ya call! Any news?" Heiji said.

"Unfortunately, nothing," Conan replied, "_They've_ been quiet ever since the museum heist. I mean, I can guarantee _They're_ still moving. It's just much more under the radar now."

"I see," Heiji said, "What's it been, a month and a half now?"

"Something like that," Conan said.

"If _They_ really had somethin' else planned, _They_ would have acted by now," Heiji reasoned, "Which means-"

"The kidnapping is exactly as Vermouth said, ne?" Conan finished.

"Ya don't sound convinced," Heiji remarked.

"Something's just been bugging me about the whole thing," Conan admitted.

"Any luck with dat CIA agent?"

"No, I haven't been able to reach her. They must be keeping a close eye on everyone lately."

"So what now then?"

"I guess we wait for the next clue," Conan sighed. Though it was disappointing, it seemed to be the only course of action.

"I suppose. By da way, Kudo, how's that other thing goin'?"

"Other thing?" Conan asked, confused as to what Heiji was talking about.

"Ya know, with Neechan. Ya kissed her an' all, right?" Heiji asked smugly. Conan felt himself blush.

"Baro, there is no other thing," Conan snapped.

"I see," Heiji said, his tone obviously indicating doubt.

"What about you, Hattori? Did you ask Kazuha out on a date yet?" Conan remarked.

"W-what? Aho! Why would I do that?" Heiji stammered. Conan couldn't help but laugh.

"Anyways, what's goin' on with dat British detective?" Heiji asked.

"Changing the topic?"

"He knows ya Kudo Shinichi, right?" Heiji said, ignoring the comment; Conan let it slide.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, you've know about it, and he's a lot more careful."

"What was dat?!"

"I'm just kidding, Hattori," Conan laughed, feeling his mood improving. After the doom and gloom of those nightmares, talking with Heiji was a welcomed change. A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

"Conan-kun, are you still in there? We're about to leave soon," Ran said.

"Hai, Ran-neechan," Conan replied.

"Kudo, don't tell me ya callin' from the bathroom again?" Heiji said.

"Wari, Hattori. I'll call you later," Conan replied, hanging up the phone.

"Wait Kudo-" Heiji managed to get in before the line cut.

Conan tucked the phone back into his pocket and exited the bathroom. Ran was waiting outside.

"Ready to go, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"Hai!" Conan said with a nod as he went to get his bag.

* * *

_He walked up the stairs to the roof and took a step outside, the cool breeze causing his cape to flutter. Looking down, he confirmed the gem in his hand and then glanced up, surveying the rooftop; it was deserted save one corner where a boy stood. The boy had evidently been waiting for him._

_"Hello, Kaitou KID," the boy said calmly and with an air of confidence._

_"Ah, Tantei-kun. I would expect no less," Kaito said, clapping his hands in applaud. "Are you going to turn me in now?" Kaito asked._

_"Ne, KID, I heard something interesting," the boy said, ignoring Kaito's question, "I heard you're obsessed with me."_

_Kaito felt himself blush. "Baka, where did you hear that from?"_

_"It's true, isn't it, Kaito?" Aoko said, suddenly appearing on the roof._

_"It's not. I'm not obsessed, just piqued. Curious," Kaito replied defensively._

_"Curiosity killed the cat," the boy said._

_"I'm not a cat," Kaito replied._

_"Giving me puppies. Following me around Tokyo. Thinking about me during class. I'd say that's obsessed," the boy said._

_"No, you're wrong! I'm just trying to keep you safe, for my own amusement," Kaito replied._

_"Ne, KID, you know what they say about obsession? It's-" the boy started. _And that's when the dream abruptly ended.

Kaito woke up with a start, realizing that it was almost noon already. Somehow, he had fallen asleep on the couch; he must have been too exhausted yesterday to make it to his room.

After washing up in the bathroom, Kaito plopped himself down in front of his computer and started it, going back to the "private data" folder when the computer had loaded. He had finished looking through "001" yesterday, though there were no clues there about what Hakuba had been up to. Hopefully, the other folders would prove more enlightening.

Kaito double clicked the second folder, "002", and inside was some custom program called "Data Logger". Curious, Kaito opened the program. It turned out that "Data Logger" was an electronic journal of some sort, with text and pictures embedded in. Kaito began to read the first entry and immediately realized it was about some investigation Hakuba had conducted years ago, back when he was still living in England.

"This seems promising," Kaito mumbled as he scrolled through the entries, all of them describing events that happened years ago. Murder cases. Robberies. Blackmails. The entries went on and on until the end of the journal, with the last entry describing a case that happened four years ago. _Is that it? _Kaito wondered. _No, there has to be more recent entries. _Kaito exited out of the program and opened the next folder, "003". As he anticipated, there was another data logger file inside. Kaito opened the program and let more entries spill onto the screen. As he skimmed through, nothing appeared particularly interesting. The entries were still from years ago. Kaito sighed and opened the next folder, "004", again skimming through the entries. This time though, his eyes caught on the word "KID", which appeared numerous times throughout the journal. Upon closer inspection, Kaito noticed that the entries were about Hakuba's investigation into the phantom thief, about how the detective suspected Kaito of being KID, and about how there was no evidence as of yet linking the two. While it was comforting to read, it was all things that Kaito already knew. He quickly shifted to the next folder, "005". Inside were even more entry about KID, about KID's heists and near escapes. Kaito scrolled through with disinterest and quickly closed the folder. "006" proved to be more of the same, prompting Kaito to wonder if Hakuba had some unhealthy obsession with the thief. Closing the folder once more, Kaito was about to move to the next one when he suddenly realized that "006" had been the last folder.

"That's weird," Kaito muttered. "006" had only gone up to events from a year ago. Why would Hakuba suddenly stop there? There really should have been another folder and yet, there were only six showing up on the screen. "Matte," Kaito said, an idea suddenly coming to mind. Kaito clicked the menu on his computer and then fiddled with the settings so that hidden files would be visible. Instantly, a seventh folder, "007", appear. "Alright!" Kaito exclaimed as he clicked on the seven folder. This time, the journal was documenting recent events. Kaito scrolled through the entries quickly, looking for the last entry. He stopped cold, however, when a bunch of images suddenly appeared on his screen. They were all of one person, one child to be exact.

"Tantei-kun?" Kaito said in surprise.


	30. Arc Three: Murder at the Twilight Hotel

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of DC.

* * *

"What grade are you in, little boy?" the librarian asked when she noticed the thick, leather-bound book Conan handed her.

"First grade," Conan politely replied, though he was already sighing inside; he could guess where the conversation was going.

"Then how about getting this instead?" the librarian suggested, pulling out a thin picture book from behind the counter. The book was entitled, The Ants in the Pants by Dr. Stuce. "Another little boy returned it just now."

Conan sighed, once again reminded of how inconvenient being in a child's body could be. He had been hoping to check out Dream Analisex by Segway Fraud, in the hopes of gaining some insight into his nightmares. He wasn't interested in some children's book. And besides, he hadn't even read such books when he was an actual first grader, opting instead for Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Still, the librarian was insistent, which made Conan feel obligated to play along. "Wow, that book looks really cool!" Conan chirped, "Can I check out both of them? The big one is for Ojisan."

Conan's mock enthusiasm seemed to satisfy the librarian as she scanned both books and handed them back. "I'm sure you'll love it," she said with a smile, referring to the Dr. Stuce book.

"Un!" Conan nodded as he took the books and made his way back to Kogoro's rental car.

"What did you get from the library, Conan-kun?" Ran asked as he sat down in the back seat.

Conan showed her the picture book, suddenly glad that the librarian had offered it to him. It would have been difficult to explain why he had checked out a nineteenth century book on dream analysis. Ran took a glance at the book, gave him an awkward smile, and then turned around, seemingly losing interest.

"No more delays, alright?" Kogoro said, starting the engine.

"Hai!" Conan said, though he couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh. The only reason they were late in going to the Twilight Hotel was because Kogoro had forced them to pray to virtually every known Japanese deity for the safety of the rental car. Turns out Kogoro didn't enjoy the rental car being submerged, blown up, or otherwise destroyed. Who would have guessed?

As the car pulled out onto the highway, Conan discretely cracked open the book he had checked out, careful to keep it out of Ran's sight. He used the table of contents to find the chapter on nightmares and then, turning to it, began reading.

_About one in every other adult has nightmares_. While_ normally harmless, frequent nightmares may cause fatigue, loss of concentration, and more serious physiological symptoms. About five percent of adults suffer from frequent, or recurring, nightmares._

So he was the five percent, huh? Lucky him. Conan skipped to the section on recurring nightmares.

_Recurring nightmares can pose serious health risks as fatigue and anxiety set in. Recurring nightmares are typically caused by a traumatic event._

Conan dwelled on the last sentence for a bit. Had he suffered a traumatic event? The image of Kogoro beating him over the head with a fist came to mind, followed by the memory of Ran's mom's cooking. Conan shook his head; those events, while traumatic, probably weren't what the book was referring to.

"Traumatic event, huh?" Conan mumbled to himself as he set the book down, his eyes moving to the car window. The encounter with the Black Organization suddenly came to mind. Does a kidnapping count as a traumatic event? To normal people, perhaps. But to the veteran detective, it had been more a challenge than anything else. Much as one finds a jigsaw puzzle challenging, Conan certainly didn't see the kidnapping as traumatic. Sure, there were some close calls, like when Brandy put a gun to his head, but that wasn't any different than many other cases he had worked. Plus, there had been a week gap between the kidnapping and the onset of the nightmares, which is why Conan hadn't thought the two to be linked before.

Conan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, as if to ask if brain why the nightmares were occurring. And in reply, the nightmare began replaying itself in his mind, albeit in fragments. The interrogation room. The boy strapped to the table. The surgeon with no face.

Conan's eyes suddenly shot open. He was trembling slightly but he realized something. The surgeon was odd. After all, why would a surgeon wear all black? Was that his subconscious telling him that the Black Organization was somehow responsible for his nightmares? Conan thought back to the kidnapping that had happened a month ago and replayed the events again. As he recalled, there had been a four hour gap of time that neither he nor Heiji could account for. Had the Black Organization done something to him during that time, something that was now provoking his nightmares? Conan's eyes grew a little wider as a sudden thought came to mind. _What if the nightmares_-_?_

Before Conan could finish the thought, Ran suddenly interrupted, causing Conan to jump in his seat a little. "Anything interesting?" she asked. But then noticing Conan's confused look, she elaborated, "You've been staring out the window for a while now. Did you see something interesting, Conan-kun?"

"Oh, I was just uh-" Conan started, quickly searching out the window for something to talk about. That's when he noticed the sudden flurry of cherry blossoms. "Kirei," Conan said, drawing Ran's attention to the scenery outside.

"Honto! It really is beautiful!" Ran said, face likewise plastered to the window, "Is that the hotel up front?"

"That's what the map says," Kogoro replied, steering the car towards the hotel. He found a parking spot behind the building and they walked into the lobby together. The hotel receptionist greeted them with a smile.

"Do you already have reservations?" the receptionist asked.

"It should be under Mouri," Kogoro replied.

"Mouri. Let's see," the receptionist mumbled to herself as she scanned her computer. For a moment, Conan wondered if Kogoro had failed to book their rooms properly. It wouldn't be the first time they arrived at a hotel only to find there was a mix-up in the booking. Thankfully though, the receptionist found them. "Ah, here you are," she said, handing Kogoro two key cards, "Room 413."

"Man, that's probably the unluckiest room in the entire hotel," a man suddenly said, causing Conan to turn around. The man looked to be in his early thirties, with messy brown hair and an average looking build.

"What do you mean?" Ran asked, also turning.

Conan thought about it for a moment and then grinned. "In Japanese, four is a bad number because it sounds like the word for death. And in Western culture, thirteen is a bad number because it's one off from twelve, which represents completion. So if you combine four and thirteen, you get a doubly unlucky room number," Conan explained.

"I'm impressed. You sure know a lot, little boy," the man said.

"He sure does," Ran agreed, giving Conan a look.

"Ah, television! It was something I saw on television!" Conan quickly said.

"Is that so?" the man laughed, "By the way, my name is Aihara Shinji. Pleased to meetchya."

* * *

**Aihara Shinji**  
Gender: Male  
Age: 32  
Blood Type: O+

* * *

"Mouri Ran," Ran introduced, "And this is Conan-kun and my father."

"Mouri? Wait, could you be that famous sleeping detective, Mouri Kogoro?" Shinji asked, clearly excited.

"That's me! Ahaha! Hahaha!" Kogoro laughed, obnoxious as ever.

"Oh wow, this is so awesome. I can't believe you're here in person! Can I have an autograph?" Shinji said, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen.

"No problem!"

"Thank you! The guys in the detective club are going to be so jealous," Shinji said as he pocketed the signed piece of paper.

"Detective club?" Conan asked.

"Yeah, the Gunma College Detective Club," Shinji explained.

"You're still in college?" Ran asked.

"No," Shinji laughed as he shook his head, "Everyone in the club used to attend Gunma College. Now we just hang out and go on group outings. You see, we entered this newspaper contest and won a free stay here."

"That's just like us!" Ran said.

"Did you go to the welcome dinner last night?" Shinji asked.

"No, what's that?" Ran replied.

"It was to welcome all the contest winners. There was a really amazing high school detective there."

"High school detective?" Conan wondered silently.

"Anyways, I got to go. It was great meeting you all!" Shinji said.

"There's all kinds of people here, huh, Conan-kun," Ran said, bending down a little to Conan's eyelevel. Conan nodded and scanned the lobby, waiting for Kogoro to finish with some paperwork. The Twilight Hotel was legitimately nice, with dozens of windows and a small fountain in the lobby. There was also a set of lounge chairs by the fountain.

Conan was about to suggest he and Ran go have a seat while they wait when he suddenly noticed two people were about to walk into each other; both were busy reading something and not watching where they were going. "Abunai!" Conan called, running over. He was a tad too late though, as the two men collided, knocking each other backwards onto the ground. "Are you okay?" Conan asked when he reached the two men. Various items were scattered across the ground, no doubt caused by the collision.

"I am, thank you, little boy," the older of the two said. Then looking over, he noticed the other fellow and said, "Ah, Inomata-san! You should watch where you're going."

"I could say the same, Kaichou," Inomata said.

"Eh? Kaichou?" Conan asked.

"Ah, sorry, it's a habit now. He's Higa Mito. He was the president of the Gunma College Detective Club, so everyone just calls him Kaichou," Inomata explained.

* * *

**Inomata Shozo**  
Gender: Male  
Age: 32  
Blood Type: A+

**Higa Mito**  
Gender: Male  
Age: 34  
Blood Type: A+

* * *

"Oh, could that be the same one that Aihara-san is part of?" Conan asked.

"You've met Shinji?" the president asked. Conan nodded. "Do you happen to know where he went? I was looking for him."

"Ah, he went up the stairs," Conan said.

"He must have gone to my room then. It's on the fourth floor, you see," the president said.

Just then, Conan noticed a pill bottle lying on the ground. "Ojisan, you dropped this," Conan said, picking it up. Conan paused, realizing suddenly that there was something strange about the pill bottle. But before he had a chance to figure out what, the president took it from his hand.

"Thank you, little boy," he said, "It's a good thing you noticed. I'd be in serious trouble if I lost this."

"What's it for?" Conan asked.

"Bradycardia. My heart rate tends to be quite slow, so this helps give it a kick start," Mito said with a laugh. "Anyways, thank you. Inomata-san, shall we go find Shinji? The event is starting soon."

"Right, Kaichou," Inomata said and with that, the two of them left.

"What was that all about?" Ran asked when Conan returned.

"They were also part of the Gunma College Detective Club," Conan said, wondering about the event the president had mentioned.

"I see," Ran said, then changing the topic, "Ne, Conan-kun."

"Nani?"

"Want to go see the cherry blossoms outside?"

"Hai!" Conan chirped, extending his hand for Ran to take as per their usual arrangement. Ran took his hand rather abruptly and rushed outside.

"Slow down, Ran-neechan!" Conan called, running to keep up. _Ran must really want to see those cherry blossoms._

* * *

"Tantei-kun?" Kaito repeated, eyes glued to the computer screen. Why would Hakuba have images of the little detective in his journal? Was Hakuba investigating him? Was that what Hakuba had been doing for the past two weeks? But why would Hakuba be investigating Conan in the first place? Just what was the relationship between the two detectives?

For a split second, Kaito felt a pang of jealousy; after all, the thief wasn't keen on sharing, and that included sharing Conan with Hakuba. But then realizing that it was silly to overreact, Kaito took a deep breath and calmed himself. There was no need to rush; the journal wasn't going anywhere, so he had all the time in the world to figure out what was going on. "Yosh, let's do this," Kaito said, trying to focus his attention. He scrolled up a few entries to where he thought would be a good starting point and began reading:

_March 28th_

_The target of Kaito-kun's heist tonight: Halley's Comet. The location: Beika Museum. And while I was at the museum, a different pursuit caught my attention. I wonder if KID will be upset that I didn't show. _

"As if," Kaito groaned. Even in writing, Hakuba managed to annoy him, especially how he used "Kaito" and "KID" interchangeably. Hakuba had no evidence! "No, nevermind," Kaito told himself and continued to read.

_In hindsight, investigating into Akemi Miyano turned out to be a fruitful endeavor, if only that I managed to witness something remarkable: a grown woman shrinking to the size of a child. I would still believe it to be impossible had I not witnessed it myself. Just who is this girl and who is this "Gin" that is chasing after her? For now, I have brought the girl back to my house. No doubt I will have to investigate the matter further._

Kaito finished reading the entry and wondered if somehow, by a cruel twist of fate, Hakuba had known the thief would come to steal his journal. The journal read more like an elaborate decoy, written to purposely deceive a curious reader, than the actual case notes of a detective. After all, was Kaito really supposed to believe that Hakuba saw someone physically shrinking? That was impossible…right?

"Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to finish reading," Kaito said, realizing that curiosity was getting the better of him. Plus, he wanted to know how Conan was involved in the matter.

The next entry was from March 31st:

_My investigation has made an abrupt turn. In trying to uncover the identity of the mysterious girl, I've uncovered a different secret as well, specifically with regards to the identity of a certain detective. I'm fairly confident of my conclusion. Still, I lack proof. As such, I will refrain from putting my conclusion in writing until sufficient evidence has been gathered._

"Yet you don't seem to mind concluding that I'm KID without evidence," Kaito grumbled.

_To gather evidence, I will go to the precinct and ask Tami-san if I can get the case files of a certain famous detective. If my deduction is correct, the evidence should be in those files. _

_April 3rd  
The investigation is exhausting, and I don't have much to show for it. A couple of days ago, I inquired about some case files. Tami-san brought me copies, and to my surprise, there were hundreds. I knew the detective was famous. I just hadn't realized how much so. At any rate, after analyzing about a hundred of them, I came to realize that the answer would not lie in the case files as I had hoped. My fundamental approach had been wrong. I had assumed that the detective would make a mistake, say something, do something that would give away his secret. After all, it's not normal for that kind of secret to remain secret after an entire year. But then, he's not a normal person either. _

_With that in mind, I adjusted my approached, and decided to look for that singular moment of weakness, the moment where the secret had yet to become a secret. Of course, I'm referring to the moment when it all began, the moment when he changed. I need to find that moment._

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ran asked as the two of them stared at the cherry blossoms fluttering in the wind.

"Definitely," Conan replied, blinking as a blossom flew right past his eye.

"Ne, Conan-kun, do you know the story of Kono-hana?" Ran suddenly asked.

"The blossom princess?" Conan replied, "Wasn't it said that she fell in love with and married the god, Ninigi?"

"That's right and when she became pregnant, Ninigi became suspicious that the children weren't his. So Kono-hana locked herself in a hut and set it on fire to prove to Ninigi that the children were indeed his sons."

"Because the sons of a god would be able to survive the fire, right?" Conan added, "But it's sad, isn't it?"

"That Kono-hana sacrificed her life?"

Conan shook his head. "Not only that," he said as he watched the cherry blossoms fluttering around, "But also that Ninigi had to live on without her."

"But he'd forgive her, right? He'd forgive her because she was just trying to do what was best for both of them, right?" Ran asked, looking intently into Conan's eyes.

"Ran-neechan," Conan muttered, realizing that they were no longer talking about Japanese folklore, "I-"

But before Conan had a chance to speak, he was interrupted by someone calling their names. "Is that you, Ran-chan?"

Conan and Ran both turned around to look; it was a woman they had never seen before.

"Hello, I'm Ran. I'm sorry. Have we met before?" Ran asked as the woman walked up to them.

"Oh, I'm Shinji's fiancé. He told me about you," the woman explained, "And you must be Conan-kun. Shinji tells me you're very smart." Conan just laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Aibu Haruna."

* * *

**Aibu Haruna**  
Gender: Female  
Age: 32  
Blood Type: O+

* * *

"Nice to meet you," Ran and Conan said in unison.

"Were you looking at the cherry blossoms?" Haruna asked. Ran nodded. "They're beautiful aren't they?" Then with a distant look in her eye, Haruna recited:

When cherry blossoms  
Scatter…  
No regrets

"That's a beautiful haiku," Ran complimented, "Did you write it yourself?"

"It was written by Kobayashi Issa," was the reply, but it wasn't Haruna who responded.

_That voice!_ Conan thought, turning to face the newcomer. It was a teen this time, blond hair and distinctly British.

He bowed slightly. "Saguru Hakuba. Hajimemashite."

* * *

_April 7th_

_Instead of looking into cases after the change, I decided to go in reverse and find the last case before the change. Using my connections with the police, I managed to discover that the last case on file involved a murder at the amusement park, "Tropical Land". Hence, that is where I began my new investigation. I visited the amusement park and, after using some leverage, I was able to obtain security footage and a detailed report of the case. As it turns out, a murder took place during a rollercoaster ride and said detective managed to solve the case without much trouble. There was even a photo from the ride that verified the passengers present. Undoubtedly, he was there. The question though, was what happened afterwards. Why had the amusement park case been the last one?_

_Although I inquired with the security guards, it turns out that they were recently hired. The old security guards, the ones that had worked the park a year ago, had already retired. Fortunately, I was able to get their names and contact information. One by one, I sought them out for interviews, but I wasn't able to get much. Testimony corrodes over time, after all. Still, I did hear an interesting story from one of the guards. Apparently, on the night of the murder case, the police had also been on the lookout for a black market transaction that was supposed to take place somewhere in the park. Though the police never did find the culprits, the guard I talked to said that while he was patrolling the park, he had found a child. The child had a head injury of some sort and was bleeding. But the strangest thing of all was that the child was wearing clothes that were much too large. When the guard had turned away to call for help, the child vanished, never to be seen again._

_The story, though certainly fallible, seemed to be the missing piece. Upon hearing it, the sequence of events became clear to me. The sudden disappearance of a talented detective. The appearance of a child who looked physically identical. The adoption of the child by an unsuccessful private investigator, who after a few cases becomes world renown. And the possibility of de-aging, as seen with the girl at the Beika Museum, Haibara Ai. _

_It doesn't take a detective to figure out what happened. That's right. My conclusion, the only logical conclusion that can be made given the facts:_

_The child known as Edogawa Conan is in fact-_

* * *

"Ah, Aibu Haruna," Haruna said, extending a hand to Hakuba. "You were the amazing detective from yesterday's dinner."

"You flatter me," Hakuba said kindly, "Hello Ran-san. Conan-kun."

"Ah, you were from that time at the Sunset Mansion," Ran remembered. Hakuba gave a nod.

"You know him, Ran-chan?" Haruna asked.

"Yes, we were together during a murder case," Ran explained.

"I see. That sounds frightening," Haruna said. Then as if remembering something, she asked, "Ne, you guys want to go check out the gift shop? I hear there are all kinds of nice things there."

"That sounds like fun. Ne, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"Un!" Conan said, about to leave. Hakuba stopped him though.

"Sorry, but can I borrow this child for a second? There's something I'd like to ask him." Conan's eyes instantly narrowed, his brain trying to figure out what Hakuba was planning.

"Conan-kun?" Ran asked, "Well, okay. Come find us later in the gift shop, alright?" Conan nodded and watched as the two women walked away. Then turning to Hakuba, Conan said, "So what did you want to ask me, Hakuba-niisan?"

Hakuba stared Conan in the eyes and smiled, "Shall we stop with the games-"

* * *

_The child known as Edogawa Conan is in fact the high school detective-_

* * *

"-Kudo Shinichi?" Hakuba finished slowly, placing extra emphasis on his name.

"What are you talking about, Hakuba-niisan?" Conan laughed nervously, trying to feign innocence. While he knew it wouldn't work with the experienced detective, he definitely wasn't expecting what Hakuba said to him next.

"Gin's responsible for your current physical state, isn't he?"

* * *

"Edogawa Conan is Kudo Shinichi? This is a joke right?" Kaito said in disbelief. He went over the sentence several times just to make sure he wasn't misreading. But that's what it said. "Tantei-kun is actually…a high schooler?" Kaito wasn't sure if he was shocked or amused, wasn't sure if he wanted to gasp or laugh. Just then, he noticed a side-by-side comparison of Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi. Aside from the difference in age, the two pictures could easily have been of the same person. Well, Conan was wearing glasses, but then, that could have been a disguise, used to mask the similarity from acquaintances. Kaito leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, his mind mulling over the torrent of new information.

"Edogawa Conan is Kudo Shinichi," Kaito said again, the notion still strange to him. The idea that a high school student had shrunk into a child blew his mind. Kaito was all for strange and fantastical, but this was a stretch, even for him.

Then again, the more Kaito thought about it, the more it made sense. The resourcefulness, the knowledge, the personality, the expressions, they were all more suited for a teenager than a child.

"Edogawa Conan is Kudo Shinichi," Kaito said, this time with a tone of acceptance. He turned his gaze back to the computer screen, a smile growing on his face. _You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Tantei-kun?_

Though Kaito had found the notion of a genius child interesting- and hence had made Conan the object of his amusement- the notion of a teenager in a child's body wasn't any less so. Kaito's curiosity, and interest, in Conan didn't seem to wane with the revelation, but rather, expand. Kaito felt like a child that had just discovered a brand new section at the amusement park; there was so much he wanted to try and see.

"What else don't I know about you, Tantei-kun?" Kaito asked as he moved to the next entry. In his excitement, he could feel his heart skip a beat.

* * *

"What do you know about Gin?" Conan asked briskly, realizing that there was no point pretending anymore.

"Probably less than you do," Hakuba said slowly, "Look, I'm not trying to cause any trouble for you. I understand that you've somehow got involved with some very dangerous people. I just want to know what happened."

Conan looked at Hakuba for a moment, thinking over the Brit's request. Was it safe to tell him? No doubt Hakuba would end up investigating the matter, even if he kept silent. After all, they were cut from the same cloth. And if that was the case, then it was probably best to pool their information. Conan sighed. "It'll be easier if you first tell me what you know."

* * *

April 11th

_I think I'm beginning to understand the situation Kudo-kun is in. More than likely, he was investigating the black market dealers when something happened that caused him to shrink. My bet was that it had something to do with "Gin", the person Haibara-san had mentioned on the rooftop of the Beika Museum. To find out more about "Gin", I called a contact of mine at Interpol. While he wasn't able to give me much, he said he had heard talk about a run-in between "Gin" and Akai Shuichi of the FBI. What the FBI was doing in Japan he couldn't say, but it seems that "Gin" was a powerful member of some criminal organization. The organization, dubbed the "Black Organization" by the FBI because of the black clothes its members wear, has been on the Interpol watch list for some time but so far, there has been little success in tracking them down. _

"Black Organization?" Kaito said, suddenly remembering the museum heist. Conan had asked about them, the men who wore black. Were the two events related?

Kaito got up from the computer, plopped onto his bed, and closed his eyes, trying to consolidate the information he just learned. From what he gathered from Hakuba's journal, Conan was mixed up with some really bad people, people that Interpol _and_ the FBI were after. "Maybe I should have got Tantei-kun a machine gun instead," Kaito mused, opening his eyes. He sat up and looked out his window, the spring weather outside in stark contrast to the bleak topic at hand. "Black Organization. Men in black," Kaito said, getting lost in his thoughts. "Snake."

* * *

"Ran-neechan," Conan called when he found Ran in the gift shop.

"Conan-kun," Ran greeted, "Where's Hakuba-kun?"

"Oh, he said he had something to take care of."

"I see. Ne, Conan-kun, I was thinking of buying a gift for Sonoko. Which one do you think she'll like?" Ran asked, holding up two souvenirs. One was a framed painting of a bear. The other was an easy bake oven.

_Art or food?_ Conan instantly pointed to the oven.

"I guess you're right," Ran said with a laugh.

* * *

_"Edogawa Conan, do you know him?"_

_Cool guy? "No, I've never heard of him. Who is he?"_

_"A boy I want you to kidnap."_

_Kidnap? "You want me to kidnap a child?"_

_"I'll leave the details up to you, Vermouth."_

_"What do you plan to do with him?"_

_"It's rare for you to want to know."_

_"I just have a distaste for harming children."_

_"*********"_

_With cool guy?! "I see. I'll do it, on one condition. ***************"_

_"Oh, an interesting request, especially coming from you, Vermouth. But fine, I will allow it. Bring me Edogawa Conan."_

_"Okay, Boss."_

"Miss Nagase?" the broker said, pulling Vermouth out of her flashback.

"I'm sorry. Is the transaction complete?" Vermouth asked.

"Yes, half a million shares of General Energy have been added to your account."

"Thank you," Vermouth said, picking up her documents as she stood to leave, "It's been a pleasure doing business."

"Likewise."

As Vermouth left the building, her mind drifted to the flashback again, to the boss' request. "He can do it," Vermouth mumbled. She had only agreed to kidnap him because she believe he could do it. He was their _silver bullet_ after all.

* * *

"Which table are we, Otosan?" Ran asked.

"Uh, table four," Kogoro said, reading off the invitation card.

"Ah, it's that one over there," Conan pointed out, leading the way to the table.

As soon as the three of them sat down, a waiter came over and handed them a menu with some appetizers. The dishes all sounded amazing, which wasn't surprising given that the night's dinner was some special celebration; everyone had dressed up and had assigned tables.

Conan was looking over the menu when a voice caught his attention. "Mouri-san!" the voice called. Conan looked up and noticed that it was Shinji; following him were the other members of the Gunma College Detective Club.

"Are you guys also eating at table four? What a coincidence!" Ran said.

Shinji just laughed, "Actually, I requested that we be at this table. Everyone wanted to talk with the famous Sleeping Kogoro." Kogoro went hysterical at that. _His ego's going to pop if it gets any bigger,_ Conan mused. "Eto, I think you've met everyone except Okura Sada, right?" Shinji asked, pointing to a man standing next to him.

"Okura Sada. Domo," the man said.

* * *

**Okura Sada**  
Gender: Male  
Age: 33  
Blood Type: B+

* * *

With the Gunma College Detective Club joining them, they had eight people at the table. Still, there was an empty seat next to Conan, and he wondered who else would be coming. He didn't have to wait long to find out though.

"Konbanwa," Hakuba said as he took the seat next to Conan.

"Oi, you didn't request to sit next to Sleeping Kogoro too, did you?" Conan whispered.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hakuba shrugged, picking up the menu. Conan was about to return to his own menu when he saw Sada suddenly stand up.

"I think I'm going to go back to my room," Sada said.

"You're not going to eat?" the club president asked.

"I'm not feeling too well. I'm really sorry," Sada said as he headed out of the dining hall. Conan looked on as the man left, wondering if there was more to it, but then shrugged and let the matter slide.

After they had finished ordering and eating, and while the dishes were being cleared away, Shinji suddenly stood up and called for a toast. "To the president's new novel!" he said, holding up a glass of wine.

"Kanpai!" everyone cheered. Conan did likewise, though he felt kind of silly holding up his little carton of juice. He heard Hakuba snicker from the side and promptly shot the Brit a glare. Hakuba pretended not to notice however, and Conan, not interested in pressing the issue, moved on.

"So was the event you were talking about before to celebrate the new novel?" Conan asked.

"That's right, Conan-kun," Shinji said, "Kaichou's novel made it onto the bestseller's list."

"That's amazing!" Conan said, or he was about to, when a sudden change in atmosphere at the table gave him pause. Though everyone was still chatting away like before, something had definitely changed. Conan shot a glance over at Hakuba; the teen had noticed it too.

"So what's the novel about?" Ran asked, apparently oblivious to the change.

"It's about a criminal who becomes a detective," Mito replied.

"That sounds cool," Ran complimented.

"You really think so? Thank you so much! I hope you'll read it!"

"Definitely," Ran said with a smile.

"And of course, I'd be honored if Mouri-san can read it and give me some constructive criticism."

"Ahem, you can count on me. Ahahaha!" Kogoro laughed.

"Ne, Hakuba," Conan whispered to the teen next to him, "Do you feel some odd tension between the club members?"

"Right after it was mentioned that the president's book is on the best seller's list," Hakuba replied. Then noticing Conan deep in thought, Hakuba asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure. Something just feels off," Conan said. But before he could continue, Mito spoke.

"Well, it's been a wonderful dinner," he said, taking out his pill bottle. He took two pills, swallowed, and put the bottle back in his pocket. "But I'm exhausted. I'm going to call it a night. You youngsters play nice now." With a laugh, Mito got up, about to leave.

"Ah, let me walk you to the room, Kaichou," Inomata, who had been sitting next to the president, said. He rushed up, trying to get to the president. However he only ended up stumbling in his haste and nearly knocked the president over. Somehow, Inomata managed to catch himself and Mito at the last minute, just before falling.

"Ah, thank you for the thought, Inomata-san," Mito said, "But you should really stay here and chat."

"What did he mean by youngsters? Aren't you all the same age?" Ran asked when the president had left.

"He was our senior in college," Inomata explained, "Even though he's not that much older than us, he's always had a weak body. So he likes to call us youngsters, as a joke."

"That's makes sense" Ran said, "So, what do you guys want to do now?"

"Shall we play a game?" Inomata suggested, pulling out a deck of cards.

"Ah, I was actually hoping that Mouri-san would get some drinks with me. I'd love to hear about some cases he's worked," Shinji said, turning to Kogoro. Naturally, Kogoro couldn't refuse alcohol so the two left the table and went off to find a bar.

"What about you, Aibu-san?" Inomata asked.

"A game sounds like fun. And I don't have anything else to do at the moment," Haruna said. Ran, Conan, and Hakuba all decided to join as well.

They played a few rounds before Haruna said she needed to use the restroom. She excused herself and the game was put on hold.

"So how long have you known the other members of the detective club?" Ran asked while they were waiting for Haruna to return.

"Well, we were all founding members, you see."

"You must be really good friends then," Ran said. Inomata nodded, though there was a glazed look in his eye. "Ne, I've been wondering. What did you guys do as a detective club? Solve cases?"

Inomata laughed at that. "Maybe just the occasional lunch money went missing kind of thing. Certainly nothing like the murder cases your father's solved," Inomata said, "Most of the time, we just wrote mystery stories. Everyone in the club really enjoyed writing and reading stories. That's why we're so happy that the president managed to write a best seller."

_Is that really the case?_ Conan wondered. Though Inomata sounded sincere enough, there was still the subtle, but lingering, animosity from before.

"Ne, hasn't Aibu-san been gone for a while now?" Hakuba suddenly pointed out. "Nevermind, there she is," he said, noticing Haruna walking back towards the table.

"Are you alright, Aibu-san?" Ran asked when Haruna sat back down, "You were gone for a pretty long time."

"I'm fine. The line for the bathroom was just really long," Haruna said, though it was apparent she was a bit out of breath. She was also paler than before and looked like she could faint at any moment. "Shall we get back to the game?" she asked, obviously trying to draw attention away from herself. Before they could resume however, a sudden flood of police officers and paramedics into the lobby drew everyone's attention. Instantly, Conan and Hakuba jumped out of their seats and ran towards the commotion.

"Where are you going, Conan-kun?" Ran called, but Conan was already too far to answer.

As if in sync, Conan and Hakuba both ran to the elevator and watched as the first responders got in. Then watching the floor number, they noted that the elevator had stopped on the fourth floor.

"Shall we take the stairs?" Hakuba suggested as the two of them dashed up three flights of stairs. When they entered the hall, they noticed that there was a crowd of people around one of the rooms. Like flies to honey, the two detectives made their way to the room. To their surprise, however, Kogoro and Shinji were already there.

"What happened?" Hakuba asked.

Shinji turned, despair clearly in his eyes. "Kaichou's dead!" he exclaimed, almost on the verge of tears.

"What?!" Conan and Hakuba exclaimed, trying to make their way into the room. Once inside, they looked around, instantly spotting the body lying on the bed. It was indeed the president of the Gunma College Detective Club, though now with the added feature of having a gunshot wound in his forehead. The two detectives moved a little closer to inspect the body.

"Ne, Hakuba," Conan whispered, "Isn't there something strange about the wound?"

"You're right," Hakuba replied, "Based on the muzzle burn, the gun must have been right next to his head. But there's too little blood."

Just then, they heard the medical examiner giving his report to one of the officers. "The cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest," he said.

_Cardiac arrest? _Conan wondered, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, Hakuba, can you see if they found his heart medication?"

Hakuba nodded and went off to inquire with the officers. He was back shortly, a bag in hand. "The officers said they found this in his pocket when they examined the scene," Hakuba said, handing Conan the bag. Conan took it and inspected the bottle, a perplexed look crossing his face.

"This isn't the right bottle," Conan said.

"Are you sure?" Hakuba asked, "The officers said they had it checked out and it's indeed medicine to treat for bradycardia."

"That's weird," Conan said, deep in thought.

"Kudo-kun, look," Hakuba whispered, pointing to the ceiling, "the smoke detector also looks tampered with."

"Cardiac arrest, a gunshot wound, and a tampered smoke detector? What the heck is going on?" Conan mumbled.

"Shall we go look at the security footage for the elevator? Maybe it'll tell us who was on this floor," Hakuba suggested. Conan nodded and followed Hakuba to the security office. One of the officers opened the door.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We need to see your footage for the elevator. You have cameras there, right?"

"Ha? Who the heck are you?" the officer asked.

"Sugaru Hakuba, a high school detective. I'm helping the police out with the investigation of the murder on the fourth floor."

"Uh. Okay, I guess you can see the footage then," the officer said, not quite sure what to make of the situation.

Hakuba walked up to the security monitor and fiddled with the controls until he got the replay going. He put the replay in fast-forward, but then stopped when he recognized one of the patrons on the elevator. "That's Okura Sada, right?" Hakuba said, pointing to one of the members of the detective club. "I believe one of the officers mentioned his room is also on the fourth floor."

"And that's the president," Conan said, pointing to the security monitor as the footage continued rolling. "And wait, isn't that Aibu-san?" Conan asked, noticing that Haruna also got out on the fourth floor.

"She said she was going to the bathroom right? But why would she go all the way to the fourth floor to use it?" Hakuba asked. Conan was wondering that himself but suggested that they keep going with the security footage. Next on the footage was Shinji and Kogoro, again heading to the fourth floor. And finally, it was the paramedics and police officers.

Thus, the order of people that got off on the fourth floor was: Sada, Mito, Haruna, Shinji and Kogoro.

"Well, that's it," Hakuba said as he stopped the replay.

As they walked out the security office together, Hakuba looked over at Conan; the latter had a wide grin on his face. "I gather you've figured it out," Hakuba said.

"I have," Conan said confidently.

"Shall we compare answers then, Kudo Shinichi?" Hakuba suggested.

"Alright. On three? One. Two. Three."

"The murderer is-" Conan and Hakuba said in unison.

"Inomata Shozo," Conan said. "Aibu Haruna," Hakuba said.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events," Hakuba said. Conan just grinned in reply.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Lots of stuff happened. Yay! So we're finally making some headway with the plot. And I guess this will make up for my slow updates and short chapters. :)

By the way, if you think you can solve the case, write the solution/explanation in the reviews!

Good luck detectives.


	31. Arc Three: Postlude

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

The sound of something breaking caused Haibara to look up from her magazine. _Another one of Hakase's inventions? _Haibara wondered when she realized that the noise had come from the basement. With a sigh, she stood up to check it out. Holmes, who had been lounging around lazily on the couch until then, also jumped up and followed Haibara down the stairs.

"Hakase?" Haibara called when she had entered the lab.

"Oh, Ai-kun," Agasa greeted.

"Hakase, I'm over here," Haibara sighed when she saw Agasa facing a robotic praying mantis. She wondered if the professor's hearing was going too. "You lost your glasses, didn't you?"

The professor laughed sheepishly. "I took them off for a second to read something but now it seems I can't find them again."

"It's because you're always obsessing over your inventions," Haibara said as she walked over. She was careful to avoid all the broken glass that was scattered across the ground. "Here," Haibara said as she grabbed onto the professor's hand. She led Agasa back upstairs and sat him down on the couch. "Don't move from this spot, understand? I'll go look for your glasses."

"Hai. Sorry for causing you trouble, Ai-kun," Agasa said. Upon hearing that, Haibara's expression softened a bit.

_I should be saying that to you,_ Haibara thought silently as she remembered how much the professor had done for her. He had taken her in when she was all alone, gave her a home, acted as a second father to her. Without him, she'd probably be dead by now. A smile escaped her lips, not that the professor could see. Then again, Haibara preferred it that way. "Do you remember where you might have left them?" Haibara asked, her authoritative voice masking her true feelings.

"Hm, I remember I was reading a book. So maybe in the study?"

"I'll go take a look," Haibara said as she walked off. Holmes, smelling an adventure, decided to tag along.

Haibara looked around when she reached the study, but the professor's glasses were nowhere to be seen. "This is problematic," Haibara said to herself, "Maybe he should just use a spare for now." After all, it'd be bad for the professor to keep breaking things.

She was about to return to the professor when she felt a sudden tugging at her sweatpants. Looking down, she noticed it was Holmes. The dog was frantically wagging its tail. "Nani, Holmes?" Haibara asked, giving the dog a curious look.

The dog just woofed in reply.

"I'm busy right now, Holmes. Maybe you should go take a nap like Watson," Haibara suggested.

Holmes just woofed again and continued to tug on Haibara's pants. When Haibara didn't budge, the dog grew more insistent, nearly tearing the fabric.

"You want me to follow you somewhere?" Haibara suddenly realized.

Holmes woofed a third time and stared at Haibara with a bored expression, as if to say, _You finally figured it out? You're dumber than a dog._ For some reason, the expression really ticked Haibara off. But before she could think about it anymore, the dog dashed out the study.

_Could he know where Hakase's glasses are?_ Haibara wondered as she ran after the dog. She was led right back to the living room, where Agasa was sitting and patiently waiting.

"Hakase," Haibara said as she approached.

"Oh, did you find my glasses?" the professor asked.

"Not yet."

Just then, Haibara noticed that Holmes had jumped onto the couch and was busy nudging at Agasa's pocket with its nose. _Could it be? _Haibara suddenly thought. "Hakase, let me check something," she said as she reached into the professor's pant pocket. Sure enough, his glasses were there. "Hakase," Haibara said with obvious annoyance, "How did you not know they were in your pocket?"

"So that's where they were!" Agasa said, putting on his glasses, "Thank you, Ai-kun."

Haibara just facepalmed and sighed. She then turned to Holmes, who was busy lounging around lazily again. It yawned, as if about to take a nap now that the excitement was over. "You remind me of a certain detective," Haibara said to herself with a smile.

"What was that, Ai-kun?" Agasa asked.

"Nandemonai," Haibara said, "Anyways, as punishment for losing your glasses, no meat for one week."

"Eh?!"

* * *

"Achoo!"

"Did you catch a cold, Kudo-kun?" Hakuba asked as the two of them made their way back to the scene of the murder.

"I'm fine," Conan said, rubbing his nose a little, "Anyways, isn't it about time to bring this case to a close?"

"My thoughts exactly," Hakuba said, just as they reached the president's room. To their surprise though, the police officers were in the process of leaving. "Where are you going?" Hakuba asked a nearby officer.

"Back to the station," the officer replied.

"Does that mean you've solved the case?" Conan asked.

The officer nodded, "That's right."

"And you've arrested the culprit?" Hakuba asked.

"Culprit?" the officer wondered aloud, "Why would there be a culprit in a suicide case? Well, I guess you could argue that the president was the culprit…but that's still a weird way to put it."

"Hai?" Conan and Hakuba said in unison, a look of confusion on their faces.

"Who told you it was a suicide?" Hakuba asked.

"Oh, that would be the inspector," the officer said.

"Inspector?" Conan and Hakuba asked.

"Did someone call for _the _inspector?" a man said, suddenly jumping into the conversation.

"Geh!" Conan exclaimed, almost choking on his words when he saw who it was. "Yamamura-keibu. Ahaha," Conan greeted, letting out a sarcastic laugh. Whenever the Gunma inspector was around, cases always became more complicated than necessary.

"What's wrong, Kudo-kun?" Hakuba whispered when he noticed Conan sighing.

"Ah, it's nothing," Conan said, words failing him. Hakuba would have to experience it for himself.

Realizing that Conan wasn't going to elaborate, Hakuba turned to the inspector and asked, "So you think this is a case of suicide, Keibu?"

"Of course. Isn't it obvious from the scene that that's what happened?" Yamamura asked. Conan and Hakuba shook their heads. "Oh, well, I guess that's true. After all, I only came to the conclusion after the brilliant insight provided by Mouri-san," Yamamura boasted.

_Oh good grief,_ Conan thought to himself. "So, how is it a suicide?" Conan asked, his voice rather deadpan and unchild-like.

"Well, Higa-san died of heart failure right? Plus, he had a bullet wound in his head. There's only one explanation that accounts for both facts," Yamamura said, dramatically holding up a finger. "He was planning to commit suicide with a gun, but then died of anxiety instead."

"Ha?" Conan and Hakuba said again, not following the inspector's logic at all.

"If he died because he was afraid of getting shot, that would mean he didn't get a chance to pull the trigger, right? But then how do you explain the gunshot wound in his forehead?" Hakuba asked.

"You didn't let me finish," Yamamura said with annoyance. Then pulling out a notebook, the inspector turned to a doodle and showed it to the two detectives. "See, he used a setup like this!" Yamamura said, pointing to his drawing.

Conan took a look at the drawing and wondered if it had been a mistake to ask for the inspector's opinion in the first place. The doodle had a stick figure for the president, a poorly drawn gun, what looked like a rope, but could just as easily been a snake, and a jar of mayonnaise. "Uh," Conan said, unsure where to begin with the drawing, "So, how did the president get rid of the device? You didn't find anything like this when you arrived, right?"

"It was obviously knocked out the window by the wind," the inspector explained.

"Wait, the window was open when you arrived?" Hakuba suddenly asked. The inspector nodded.

"But it's closed now," Conan said, pointing to the window.

"It was chilly so I closed it," Yamamura said.

"You closed it?" Conan asked, facepalming. _What happened to preserving the crime scene? _Conan just sighed, things progressing exactly as he had feared. "And so, what motive would the president have for committing suicide?" Conan asked, trying a different approach.

"Al-ie-ns," the inspector said, his face completely serious.

"I think I've realized what you were worried about, Kudo-kun," Hakuba whispered. Before Conan could respond though, he felt himself being picked up by the collar.

"Kora! Stop interfering with the investigation," Kogoro yelled. He was about to throw Conan out of the room when Hakuba suddenly stopped him.

"Mouri-san, can I borrow this boy for a second?" Hakuba asked.

"Huh? What for?" Kogoro asked, still holding Conan by the collar.

"To solve the president's murder, of course," Hakuba said, looking over at Conan and giving the boy a smile. Conan just grinned in reply.

* * *

"Papa, what are you reading?" the boy asked, bright teal eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"Just some reports, Naku," the man replied.

"Eh? That's no fun," Naku exclaimed, face already forming a pout.

"Life isn't all fun and games," the man said.

"Hm, why not?" Naku asked innocently.

"Why not?" the man repeated with a laugh. He put the papers he was looking at down and turned his attention to the boy. "Come here, Naku."

"I can sit on Papa's lap?" Naku asked excitedly. The man just nodded in reply. "Yatta!" he said, running over. Then without pause, he reached out and picked up the papers that the man had put down. "Wow, there's so many words," Naku exclaimed.

"Indeed," the man laughed.

"C.C. co-…co-.." Naku tried before turning to his father for help.

"Coefficient," the man said, ruffling Naku's brown hair.

"What's a C.C. co-…that thing?" Naku asked.

"Have you ever heard of Ivan Povlov, Naku?" The boy just shook his head. "Povlov did an experiment with dogs where he trained them to salivate upon hearing a bell."

"Ehhh, with dogs?"

"The bell was the stimulus and the salivation was the response. The degree of linkage between the two is represented by a number called the C.C. coefficient, or classical conditioning coefficient."

"Ehhh, degree? Like hot or cold?"

"You're not really listening, are you, Naku?" the man said.

"I am!" Naku protested, again pouting.

"Hai, hai," the man said kindly, giving Naku a pat on the head. The boy instantly beamed in response.

"Ne, papa, when I can meet Mar-, I mean, Vermouth-neechan?"

"Soon, Naku, soon," the man promised.

"Yatta!" the boy cheered again, jumping off his father's lap. "I can't wait to go play outside with her. Maybe we'll build a fortress, or a sandcastle, or fly a kite, or-"

"Slow down, Naku," the man laughed, "There will be plenty of time for that."

"You promise?" Naku asked earnestly.

"I promise," the man said.

The boy could barely contain his excitement. "Yatta!" he yelled again.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted the celebration.

"Papa's got work to do now, so go read some books, okay?" the man instructed. The boy nodded in reply. Seeing that Naku understood, the man called for the visitor to enter. The door opened; it was Mead.

"Are you alone, Boss?" Mead asked.

"Yes, come in," the man replied.

"I could have sworn I heard you talking with someone."

"Must have been your imagination," the man said with a dangerous tone.

Mead took a look around the room and noticed that it was indeed empty. "Right," he quickly said, careful not to press the issue further.

"So, what did you want?" the man asked.

"It's time for the next step, Boss," Mead said.

* * *

"I've gathered everyone as you've requested," an officer said, corralling the four members of the Gunma College Detective Club into the room.

"Thank you," Hakuba said, then turning to the club members, "I'm sure you've heard by now that the club president has passed away earlier tonight. I can assure you that his death was not a suicide, or an accident, but murder."

"Murder?" the club members muttered amongst themselves.

"What's more, the murderer is someone standing in this very room," Hakuba said calmly as he shifted his gaze from one person to the next.

"Eh?!" everyone in the room exclaimed.

"Are you saying the criminal is one of us?" Shinji remarked in disbelief, "None of us are capable of doing that!"

"Slow down, Aihara-san," Hakuba said, putting his hand up, "Let's go over the key points one at a time. First, the cause of death."

"It was heart failure right? How can it be murder if the cause of death is heart failure?" Haruna protested.

"What if I told you someone caused the heart failure on purpose?" Hakuba asked.

"Can you do such a thing?" Shinji asked.

"Of course," Hakuba said, then turning to a nearby officer, asked, "Could you bring me the pill bottle from evidence?" The officer nodded and quickly returned with a bag. "Thank you," Hakuba said, taking the bottle out. "The first hint was that there was something strange about this bottle."

"Strange?" Okura asked, "It looks like a normal bottle to me."

"The lab techs also confirmed that it's medicine to treat bradycardia," Yamamura pointed out.

"Is that so?" Hakuba said, "How about we ask Inomata-san then?" Without warning, Hakuba suddenly chucked the bottle with all his strength at the man. Reflexively, Inomata reached up a hand and caught the bottle, right before it hit his face. "Nice catch," Hakuba said and Inomata, suddenly realizing what just happened, dropped the bottle on the ground. A look of terror was evident on his face.

"Inomata-san?" Shinji asked when he noticed the latter's expression. "I don't understand," Shinji said, turning to Hakuba.

"Allow me to explain. According to Conan-kun here, Inomata-san bumped into the president, not once, but twice. And yet, as he just demonstrated, he has perfectly good reflexes and balance. Would such a person really trip over himself twice in a single day?" Hakuba paused to look at Inomata, who was now busy staring at the ground. "Only if it were on purpose," Hakuba said, "The first time, in the lobby, was to switch out the original medicine. That's why Conan-kun found the bottle strange then. The second collision with the president, after dinner, was to switch the bottles back so no one would suspect."

"Evidence?! This is all just conjecture," Inomata suddenly said.

"In your pocket," Conan interjected. Inomata gasped, hands digging into his pockets. "Ran-neechan, you were with him the entire time, right?" Conan asked innocuously. Ran nodded. "Then it should still be there. The bottle of poison you gave to the club president. Right, Hakuba-niisan?"

"Excuse me," Yamamura said, reaching into the man's pockets. Sure enough, he found another bottle. "Take this to the lab," Yamamura instructed. "Still, it was pretty amateurish of you to keep condemning evidence in your pocket like that."

"He couldn't help it," Hakuba said.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Inomata-san had no idea the case would be turned into a murder investigation and that he'd be interrogated. If his plan had gone smoothly, everyone would assume it was a suicide. That would give him the chance to slip away and dispose of the fake medicine," Hakuba explained.

"Wait, speaking of murder," Yamamura started, "Your deduction doesn't explain the gunshot wound. So it's not any better than mine."

_Is he admitting that his theory was bad? _Conan wondered.

"Actually, the trick behind that, if you want to call it a trick, is that the president was murdered not once, but three separate times," Hakuba said, giving Conan a grin.

_Exactly_, Conan thought, grinning as well. The reason his and Hakuba's answers had differed was because he had chosen to start with the first murderer whereas Hakuba had chosen to start with the last one. The fact of the matter was, they were both right.

"Three murders?" Kogoro asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to explain. Aside from the cause of death being heart failure, there were a few other suspicious points about this case. For example, the smoke detector was disabled. At a hotel of this caliber, that would never happen due to negligence. Thus, someone must have disabled it on purpose," Hakuba explained.

"But why would anyone want to do that?"

_Carbon monoxide,_ Conan thought._ In addition to detecting smoke, most devices also detect for carbon monoxide. The reason the device was disabled then was because someone wanted to kill the president using carbon monoxide poisoning. And the only person who had time to set up such a thing, to fill an entire room with carbon monoxide, would be the person who left before dinner even started._

"Isn't that right, Okura Sada?" Hakuba asked. Suddenly, all eyes were on Okura. The look of disdain on the man's face all but confirmed the deduction. Still, like Inomata, he demanded for evidence. "She should have the evidence," Hakuba said, pointing to Haruna.

"Eh?" Haruna exclaimed in surprise.

"When you returned from the bathroom, I noticed you were pale and out of breath. That's classical signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. And we can easily confirm it with a blood test. Coincidentally, that also resolves that last part of this case, namely, the gunshot wound. It was you, wasn't it, Aibu-san?"

"What?! There's no way Haruna would do something-" Shinji began but Haruna cut him off.

"Please, Shinji, stop!"

"Haruna," Shinji said slowly, the truth dawning on him.

"It probably happened like this. You can here to murder the president with a gun. However, due to the effects of the carbon monoxide, you failed to realize he was already dead. Furthermore, as it was getting hard for you to breath, you instinctually opened the window to get some fresh air. As for the gun, I'm guessing you've disposed of it in a garbage chute. After all, you didn't have much time to take it elsewhere, given that we were expecting you to come back from the bathroom," Hakuba explained.

Haruna just nodded, "It's exactly as you said."

"The thing is, if it was just one murder, it would have been rather difficult to discover the culprit. But because there were three, your plans conflicted and the culprits became apparent," Hakuba said.

"Haruna, why would you murder the president?" Shinji asked, still in shock.

"My guess is the book the president just published."

"He's right," Haruna admitted, "The president stole my inspiration and used it in his own book."

"I'm guessing you two have similar motives," Hakuba said. Inomata and Okura nodded silently.

"You can give the rest of your statements at the station," Yamamura said, leading the culprits away.

"Wait, if the president was already dead, then Haruna didn't commit murder, right?" Shinji asked as the officers lead his fiancé away.

"That's not for us to decide," Conan muttered somberly, "What counts as murder? What counts as justice? Only a jury of one's peers can decide something like that." Conan turned from the despairing man and walked silently away.

The case was closed.

* * *

"So why are you coming with us again, _Hakuba-niisan_?" Conan asked as he sat in the back seat with Hakuba. He was careful to stress the last part.

"Like I said, my house is undergoing some renovation so I need a place to stay for a few days," Hakuba explained.

"So go stay at a hotel. You know, like the _Twilight Hotel_?"

"I'm getting the sense that I'm not wanted," Hakuba said with a shrug. Then whispering into Conan's ear, "And besides, your girlfriend so kindly offered me a place to stay."

"She's not my girlfriend," Conan said, struggling to keep his voice down, "And you're not staying with us."

"You really hate me that much? Is it because I took the spotlight in that last case?" Hakuba asked with a smirk.

"Baro, there's not enough room in the agency. You'll be staying with a friend of mine."

"Oh, I see, and who is this friend of yours?"

"Why don't you see for yourself? We're here," Conan said, getting out of the car. He went to the front door and rang the bell. Haibara answered.

"How was your vacation? Let me guess, a murder case happened?" Haibara asked as she led the pups out.

_Right on the nose_, Conan thought.

"And who's that?" Haibara asked, looking at the figure behind Conan.

"You remember Hakuba?" Haibara gave the Brit a wary glance before nodding her head. "He needs a place to stay so I figured he could stay here for a while. You have spare rooms, right?"

"What am I, a hotel now?" Haibara asked.

"It'll only be a few days," Conan said.

"Fine," Haibara sighed, gesturing for Hakuba to come inside.

"Good luck," Conan whispered as the took the pups and left.

_What's that supposed to mean?_ Hakuba wondered as he followed Haibara in.

"Hold on a second," Haibara said as she left to get something. She returned with a handful of neatly folded clothes. "Here, these are yours."

"Oh, thank you," Hakuba said, taking the clothes.

"Y-you didn't see, did you?" Haibara asked, suddenly blushing.

"See what?" Hakuba asked, confused.

"W-when you were changing my clothes, you didn't see, did you?"

"W-what, no!" Hakuba said, suddenly flustered when he understood what Haibara was talking about. "Of course I didn't. I wouldn't want to. I mean, I would. I mean, I'd never dream of it. Wait, that came out wrong. I'm not suggesting that I'm the type of person who would dream of about it," Hakuba said, for once losing his calm composure.

Haibara just smirked in reply. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

* * *

_Where…is this? It's…so cold. Am I dead? Am I a ghost? And what's that down there? My body? Is this what an out of body experience feels like? I don't like it. I want to go back._

_I reach a hand out, trying to grab hold of my body, trying to pull myself back in. But it's just out of reach, at the edge of my fingertips. Why can't I reach? _

_That's when I notice it. There's something wrong. Something wrong with my body. My body is tied down to a chair. A chair? Wait. What was I doing here in the first place? What was-?_

_The body, my body I suppose, suddenly stirs in the chair. The head turns towards me. How can my body move when I'm not there?_

_A zombie?! No wait, there's no such thing as zombies. But then again, I'm a ghost, so who's to say there isn't? Wait, wait. There's an easier explanation. That's obviously someone else. Right. Right. That's just a person who looks like me. Wait. Wait. He's saying something. _

_"San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen."_

_What is that? Japanese? _

_"I don't understand," I say to him. But he doesn't respond, doesn't make like he's even heard me. In fact, though his eyes are looking in my direction, it seems more like he's looking right through me. Am I a ghost after all?_

_"San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen," he says again._

_Before I have a chance to ask him what it means, I hear footsteps. Someone's approaching. A door opens. I look over and spot a surgeon. A surgeon?_

_The surgeon is pushing a small cart. The wheels are squeaky. He pulls out a cassette player and puts on a song. Requiem for a Dream. Does he not see me either?_

_The boy is noticeably tense. I can feel his fear as if it were my own. _

_The surgeon pulls out a towel from the cart and puts it over the boy's face, covering it completely. He then tilts the chair back and starts pouring water over the towel. Instantly, the boy begins to choke on the water. His body begins to spaz against the restraints on the chair._

_"What the hell are you doing?" I yell, but neither party hears me._

_After a few moments, the surgeon stops, takes the towel off, and lets the boy recover. Then he does the same thing again, and again, and again. After the fourth time, the boy is unconscious. I, on the other hand, am on the verge of madness. _

_I am about to yell at the surgeon again when a sudden feeling of dread stops me. I shrink into myself, trying to hide from the encroaching darkness. _

_Just then, the boy opens his eyes. There's something different about him though. His demeanor has changed._

_"Ohayou sekai," he says._

* * *

Conan bolted up from his futon and sprinted to the bathroom, instantly reaching for the toilet. As soon as he made it, he leaned over and vomited, his insides feeling like they could explode at any moment. It was a few minutes before he could even stand up without wanting to puke.

Shakily, Conan pulled himself off the ground and to the sink to wash up. The nightmare had been worse than the others. It had left a feeling of instinctual terror, the feeling one has while on the verge of death.

Conan turned the faucet on and let the water flow a bit. He thought about letting the water run over his head, as if to literally wash the nightmare from his mind. But as soon as he felt the water touch his head, he reflexively pulled back. His entire body began to tremor from fear. Quickly, Conan dried his head with a towel, which seemed to calm his body down. The tremors stopped, save for a small twitching in his hand.

Conan leaned over the sink and looked himself in the mirror, noticing the heavy bags under his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep lately. Just then, Conan noticed that his irises were a strange color. While normally blue, they now appeared a shade of violet. Leaning closer to the mirror, Conan tried to inspect the matter further. But as soon as he blinked, his irises returned to normal.

They were once again aquamarine blue.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

So, did you guys get the case right? Convoluted, I know :)

Anyways, the plot is moving along nicely for once, so let me know what you think!

Next chapter: Heiji's Big Day. See you guys soon!


	32. Interlude: Heiji's Big Day

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

"In other news, local officials have confirmed that another woman has been victimized in the Osakan area, making it the seventh incident in two months. Police are still at a loss for leads, but advise all women to take necessary precautions. These include-"

Heiji reached over and shut his alarm off as he tried to pull himself out of bed. It was finally the weekend, and after a string of cases in the past week, he was exhausted. He walked over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. On it were the following four lines:

_Wake up in the morning feeling like Hattori Heiji,_  
_Grab my cap, put it on, I'm gonna solve this mystery._  
_Before I leave, bad guys be in dismay,_  
_'Cause when Heiji's on the case, they ain't getting away_

Heiji read the words to himself and groaned. "This won't work at all," he said, scratching his head as he put the paper down. He had written the lines yesterday night, in a bout of inspiration. But with the morning clarity, he suddenly realized just how awful it was. Why the heck had Kazuha entered him into the annual rap contest anyways? Did she think that just because he had dark skin, he could rap? And now he couldn't even get out of it, since they had printed his name on the contestants list already. Heiji sighed, wondering what he should do next. Maybe he'd call Kudo and see if he had any ideas.

Just as Heiji was about to pick up the phone, it began to ring. It was Kazuha. "Ello?"

"Where da hell are ya, Heiji?" Kazuha shouted.

"Why ya yellin' so early in the mornin', boge?!" Heiji replied, a little annoyed that Kazuha had blown out his eardrum.

"Ya have some nerve to say that to me! D'ya have any idea what time it is?"

"Time?" Heiji said, realizing that he actually had no idea what the time was. He glanced down at the cellphone clock. "It's one, why-" Heiji began, but then suddenly stopped. "Crap, we were supposed to meet for lunch at twelve."

"And ya never showed up," Kazuha replied.

"I was-" Heiji began but, realizing that an excuse would probably exacerbate the situation, switched tactics, "Are ya still there?"

"I'm about to head home."

"Stay there. I'll be over in a sec," Heiji instructed, hanging up the phone.

"Heiji, wait-" Kazuha tried to say, but the line had already cut.

Heiji looked down at the paper on his desk, and deciding that it was hopeless, crumbled it up and tossed it into the trash. He'd figure it out later, hopefully. For now, he'd go meet Kazuha at the ramen shop. The food would give his brain a jump start. Hopefully.

* * *

"Kazuha!" Heiji called as he approached the ramen shop.

Kazuha looked up from her phone and noticed him, though she didn't greet him back. Instead, she shot him a death glare and then, without another word, made her way into the restaurant.

"Geh, she must be angrier than I thought," Heiji mumbled to himself as he followed her inside. Well, he did make her wait an hour and an half, so it was understandable.

Once they were inside, a waiter approached and placed them at a booth by the window. He handed them a menu, made some recommendations and left, leaving Kazuha and Heiji to their awkward silence.

"Da seafood ramen looks pretty good," Heiji said, pointing to the menu. He looked up to see what Kazuha thought but the latter was busy staring out the window, a look of disinterest across her face. "Or maybe the pork ramen?" Heiji suggested. When Kazuha remained silent, he decided to give up on small talk for the time being. Kazuha was evidently still mad and Heiji felt his constant attempts would only annoy her further.

It wasn't long before the waiter returned and for a brief moment, the silence was broken as they placed their orders, Heiji getting the seafood ramen and Kazuha ordering a vegetarian dish. As soon as the orders were placed, however, silence fell over the table once more.

"Hey," Heiji said, trying to lighten the mood a little. Instantly though, Kazuha shot him another death glare, which caused him to swallow his words. _Crap, has she been this mad before?_ Heiji wondered. "Look, I'm really sorry about forgettin'," Heiji apologized for what felt like the millionth time. "I didn't realize ya'd be so mad about it," he said honestly.

Kazuha stared at him for a minute, with scrutinizing eyes, before finally sighing. "It hurts ya know," Kazuha said, her expression finally softening.

"Hurts? Are ya injured somewhere?" Heiji asked. Kazuha pointed to her chest. "Oi, oi. If ya have heart problems, ya really should go see a doctor."

"Aho, I was talkin' metaphorically," Kazuha said.

"Metaphorically?" Heiji asked, slightly confused.

"It hurts my feelin's that ya forgot about our lunch. I mean, ya always remember important stuff, right? And if ya forgot about today, then that just means it wasn't important, right?" Kazuha said. Heiji could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"I-" Heiji began, unsure how to respond.

"I know, I know. Ya sorry. Ya were busy with somethin'. I understand that. But this wasn't the first time, Heiji. Ya always like this," Kazuha snapped.

"That's not fair," Heiji remarked, suddenly feeling the weight of the criticism being thrown at him.

"Isn't it?" Kazuha replied, standing up. "I'm going home," she declared.

"Kazuha wait!" Heiji called. For some reason, Heiji felt a pit in his stomach; it was as though letting her leave now would result in something terrible happening. Kazuha paused, waiting for Heiji to continue. "T-tell me what I need to do to make things right," Heiji said, his usual air of confidence nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Heiji was still a bit in shock. Very seldom was Kazuha genuinely mad at him, like she was now, and she had never said those kinds of things to him before. _Hurt? Important?_ Heiji repeated in his head. Kazuha was important to him, wasn't she?

Heiji looked over to Kazuha, a mix of annoyance and anger on her face. "Ya always sayin' ya the better detective than Kudo-kun. So then, why can he figure it out but ya can't?" Kazuha remarked.

_Kudo? What the hell's he got to do with this?_ Heiji wondered. He threw his mind back, trying to recall what Kudo had done that was so much better than him. Heiji could feel an edge of competition bubbling inside; the mention of the Tokyo detective tended to have that effect. "Ya want me to kiss ya or somethin'?" Heiji blurted out without thinking.

"K-kiss?" Kazuha said, suddenly blushing.

She spun around, about to leave, but Heiji pulled her back towards himself. Then without another thought, he kissed her, right on the lips. _There, I'm just as good as Kudo now, right? _

Kazuha instantly pushed him away, causing Heiji to fall back into the booth. "Heiji, baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" Kazuha yelled, storming out the restaurant and leaving Heiji in a state of shock.

"What am I doin'?" Heiji mumbled, as he picked himself up. The tense situation and his innate competition with Kudo had caused him to do something rather stupid. And now Kazuha was probably angrier than before.

Heiji lifted his hand up and touched his lips, the feeling of the kiss still lingering. No, not a kiss. What just happened was something much less than a kiss. There had been no feeling or emotion. It had been instinctual, base.

"Argh, this isn't the time to be thinkin'! I have to go after Kazuha!" Heiji yelled, snapping himself out of his trance. He rushed for the door, but was stopped by the waiter.

"Mister, the bill," the waiter said, pulling his shirt to prevent him from leaving.

"Here, take it," Heiji said, throwing more money than he needed to at the waiter. Without waiting for change, Heiji ran out the shop and began his search.

"Kazuha!" Heiji yelled, darting his eyes around. But Kazuha was nowhere to be seen. And though he tried dialing her number several times, she didn't pick up. "Tch, where did she go?" Heiji asked, as he sprinted down another street. Sweat was rolling down his face and getting into his eyes. He quickly brushed it aside with one hand. "Kazuha!" he yelled again, though there was still no response.

After five minutes of nonstop running, Heiji finally collapsed against a park bench, panting for breath. "Kazuha," Heiji mumbled, eyes staring at the ground.

_It hurts my feelin's that ya forgot about our lunch._ _I mean, ya always remember important stuff, right? And if ya forgot about today, then that just means it wasn't important, right?_

"Aho, of course ya important to me," Heiji mumbled, mindlessly dialing Kazuha's number again. He only got the number out of service response though. "She shut her phone off, huh? I must have really pissed her off," Heiji said.

A sudden cry from the nearby woods snapped Heiji back to reality. Without thinking, he jumped up and started running in the direction of the scream. As he approached, he noticed a sinister looking man towering over a woman. "Let's have some fun," the man said. The woman, on the other hand, was struggling on the ground to get away.

"Kazuha!" Heiji yelled in surprise when he recognized the woman.

Kazuha instantly turned towards him and called, "Heiji! Help!"

"What's is he, your boyfriend?" the man abruptly asked.

"H-ha? No way!" Kazuha blurted out, a blush already forming, "Ya got it all wrong!"

"W-we're just friends. Friends!" Heiji called. _Right? We're just friends, right? That's what Kazuha thinks too? _

"Okay...I don't really understand but that means you're free, right? How about we head back to my place and have some fun?" the man said, his voice creepy enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. He started to pull Kazuha away, much to the latter's protests.

"Heiji!" Kazuha called again, breaking Heiji out of his thoughts.

"Focus," Heiji said, smacking himself. He quickly glanced around, trying to find something that he could use as a weapon. "Alright!" Heiji said when he spotted a rusted pipe. In one swift motion, Heiji dashed forward and scooped up the pipe. Then, without pause, he charged towards the man, and using his kendo skills, knocked the man out cold. The man collapsed to the ground, releasing Kazuha.

"Heiji," Kazuha said, running to him and falling in his arms. As soon as their bodies made contact, she started sobbing.

"Kazuha, about before, sorry. I was being selfish. I'd never considered how you felt, about any of this. When ya mentioned Kudo, I just assumed-"

Kazuha picked herself up and shook her head. "It's my fault too. When Ran-chan told me about her and Kudo-kun, I-" Kazuha paused, "I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Heiji is Heiji, the good and the bad. And it wasn't fair of me to only love the good and not the bad."

"Love?" Heiji asked, surprised that she would use that word to describe him, after all that had happened.

"Ah, I mean-" Kazuha started, but instead just turned to look Heiji directly in the eyes.

Heiji smiled. For once, they were able to communicate their true feelings, without stuttering, without blushing, without embarrassment. "Kazuha, I love you too," Heiji said, pulling Kazuha close and giving her a kiss, a real kiss this time. It felt like an eternity before they finally broke away.

"Heiji, I think-" Kazuha began, but stopped when she noticed Heiji was deep in thought. "Heiji? What are you thinking about?"

Heiji looked up and grinned. "I think I have an idea for the rap contest."

"Ha?" Kazuha said, surprised by the sudden change in topic. When the surprise wore off, she suddenly burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Kazuha said with a smile. _Heiji is Heiji, the good and the bad._

* * *

Heiji stepped up to the mic and tapped if a few times, just to make sure it worked. Then, upon receiving the signal from the MC, he began his rap.

Yo. Yo.  
L-O-V-E is difficult to know.  
And when ya do, it's hard to show.  
Is it a kiss, a hug, somethin' more?  
A word, a move, what's at the core?  
What I see as a must  
Is two people, sharin' some trust.  
And that's what LOVE is.  
What up, Homie!

After Heiji finished, he took a step back to gauge the crowd's reaction. As he scanned around, he saw Kazuha and gave her a slight nod. She gave him two thumps up and a reassuring smile. Heiji felt himself smile in turn.

This would be the start of a beautiful relationship. Hopefully.


	33. Arc Four: Prelude

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

A/N: Huzzah! This story is the 45th DC story to reach over 100k words! Cheers!

* * *

"Conan-kun, Conan-kun," Kobayashi-sensei called, waking Conan from his nap.

As Conan opened his eyes, a momentary haze could be seen in his expression- the consequence of sleep deprivation. But after a second's passing, he regained control, adopting his usual clarity.

Glancing around, and noticing that everyone was waiting for him to respond, Conan quickly turned towards the board. As expected, an equation written there: ten plus two minus three. Kobayashi-sensei had evidently called on him to provide an answer. "Nine, Sensei," Conan replied.

"That's right," the teacher said, giving Conan a funny look. It was only a fleeting glance though, and she soon returned to the lesson. Conan, on the other hand, dropped back into a state between sleep and wakefulness.

It wasn't long before class was over, and with everyone exiting the classroom, Conan made his way towards the exit as well. Just as he was about to leave though, Kobayashi-sensei called out and gestured for him to come to her desk. With little choice, Conan reluctantly approached.

"Conan-kun, I didn't want to ask in front of the class, but is everything okay? You've been falling asleep a lot lately," Kobayashi-sensei asked, worry evident in her face.

"Everything's fine, sensei," Conan replied, trying to reassure her with a smile. She didn't seem convinced by his generic answer though.

"Are my lessons too boring? I know you're very smart, Conan-kun," she said, looking rather distraught.

"Ah, no, that's not it," Conan was quick to say. Obviously the lessons would be boring, given that he was actually a high schooler, but he didn't want to admit that and make the teacher feel bad. "There's this new mystery series on television and I stayed up too late watching it," Conan lied.

"Oh, I see," Kobayashi-sensei said, feeling better that she wasn't the cause of Conan's sleepiness. "Well, you shouldn't stay up so late at night, okay, Conan-kun? Growing boys need their sleep," she instructed.

"Hai!" Conan chirped, nodding his head.

"I'll see you tomorrow in class then," Kobayashi-sensei said. Conan nodded and walked towards the door.

"Conan-kun," Kobayashi-sensei said just before he left, "If you ever have any problems, you can come talk to me, okay?"

"Arigatou, Kobayashi-sensei," Conan said as he made his way out the classroom. "Well, it's a nice gesture at any rate," Conan said to himself, realizing that he'd never actually be able to talk to the teacher about his problems.

"What are you mumbling about?" a voice suddenly said, catching Conan completely off guard.

"H-haibara!" Conan exclaimed, noticing the girl leaning against the wall, "How long have you been standing there?"

Haibara just shrugged, "Did you get detention for sleeping in class?"

"Detention? Were you really waiting out here the whole time just to ask me that?" Conan remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe you should draw some eyes on your eyelids, to make her think you're still awake" Haibara joke.

"Leave me alone," Conan said playfully as the two of them walked outside.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi called as soon as they stepped out.

"What did Kobayashi-sensei want?" Genta asked, running up with Mitsuhiko.

"You guys," Conan said, wondering why the Shonen Tantei were still at school.

"Edogawa-kun got detention for sleeping in class," Haibara said casually.

"D-detention?" Genta asked, a sudden fear appearing on his face.

"She's kidding," Conan said flatly, giving Haibara a glare.

"In that case, you're free right? Let's go play some soccer!" Mitsuhiko suggested as the five of them made their way home.

"Not today. I have something to do," Conan replied as they waited for the light to turn red at an intersection.

"Eh? That's no fun," Genta grumbled.

"Tomorrow, I promise," Conan said, waving goodbye to the Shonen Tantei as he and Haibara turned down a different street. The two of them walked silently for a while- too silently, Conan thought, but he was too tired to attempt a conversation- until they reached the next intersection. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Haibara," Conan said, about to part ways.

"Wait, Kudo-kun," Haibara suddenly called, causing Conan to stop and turn around. He instantly noticed the serious expression on Haibara's face. There was a pause of hesitation before she finally continued. "I've been hiding something from you," she admitted, "about _Them_."

"What did you say?!" Conan exclaimed.

* * *

"Ne, ne, Kaito! Are you listening?" Aoko asked.

"Huh?" Kaito replied, busy stuffing things into his backpack.

"I asked what you were doing after school today."

"Oh, I have to head to Tokyo for a bit," Kaito replied as he gathered the last of his things.

"Tokyo, again? Are you going there to teach more magic?" Aoko asked.

"Yup."

"You sure are a reliable teacher."

"You really think so? Hey…that was sarcasm, wasn't it?" Kaito accused.

Aoko just laughed. "No, I'm being serious. Your friend's really lucky to have you."

"Lucky, huh?" Kaito repeated. _Well, that's one way to put it_, he thought, smirking.

"Hm, what's that?" Aoko suddenly said, pointing to Kaito's folder. "Something's sticking out the edge." Before Kaito had a chance to react, Aoko had already reached down and grabbed it. "A picture?" Aoko wonder, noticing the glossy paper in her hands.

"Hey!" Kaito exclaimed, trying to take the picture back.

"Oh, is this a naughty photograph or something?" Aoko teased.

"Give it back," Kaito said as Aoko dodged another steal attempt.

"I wonder if she's pretty," Aoko said, taking a look at the picture. "Huh? It's a boy?" she asked in surprise.

_Crap. She saw it_, Kaito thought as he snatched the picture from Aoko's hands. "Don't go snooping around other people's things," Kaito grumbled, putting the picture away.

"Now why does he look familiar?" Aoko asked, tapping her chin with a finger.

"Geh," Kaito let out, wondering if Aoko actually recognized the boy. He'd be in serious trouble if she did.

"Oh wait, is that your little brother?" Aoko asked, almost causing Kaito to trip.

"No way," Kaito said, laughing it off. Him and Conan brothers? Now that was an absurd thought. Fortunately, it also meant Aoko didn't actually know the boy. Kaito breathed a sigh of relief as he finished packing and zipped up his backpack.

"Cousins then?" Aoko asked as the two of them walked out of the school.

"Can you give it a rest already?"

"But, he looks just like you! Well, a different haircut, maybe. But the resemblance is uncanny! I mean, if you two were the same age, you could definitely be twins!" Aoko exclaimed.

_Me and Tantei-kun, twins?_ Kaito reached over and bonked Aoko over the head. "Let's get some ice cream before I head to Tokyo," he said, changing the subject.

* * *

"So, you think your mother was married to someone from the organization?"

"Yes, after my father passed away, my mother met a scientist and got married. I'm pretty sure he was Vermouth's father. And more than likely, he was also a member of the organization," Haibara recounted.

"I see," Conan said, trying to process what Haibara had told him, "Do you remember what he looked like?"

Haibara shook her head. "Some things are hard to remember."

Conan nodded. "You said his name was Etanoru?"

"Yes, why?"

"It's probably an alias but-"

"But?" Haibara asked, noticing Conan's hesitation.

"It's not really a type of alcohol."

"I see," Haibara said, "Gin, Vodka, Vermouth, they're all types of alcohols. But 'etanoru' is Japanese for ethanol. So his alias would literally be 'alcohol'."

Conan nodded at Haibara's deduction. "And if we follow that logic, then Etanoru is most likely," Conan began, his eyes dead serious, "the Boss of the Black Organization."

* * *

"Tell me, Naku, what do you think justice is?" the man, codename Etanoru, asked.

"Justice?" Naku repeated, a confused look marring his otherwise carefree face. "What's that, Papa?"

"That's what I was asking you, Naku," Etanoru said with a laugh. "I guess another way to phrase the same question is: what do you think is right and wrong?"

"Hm," Naku said, obviously overworking his brain. A look of deep concentration could be seen on the boy's face. Finally, he appeared to come to an answer. "Whatever Papa says is right!" Naku exclaimed, a wide smile across his face.

"A simple but fine answer, Naku," Etanoru said, giving the boy a pat on the head.

Naku beamed in reply.

* * *

"Wait, are you sure? Do you really think my step-father is the Boss of the Black Organization?" Haibara exclaimed.

"It makes sense," Conan said, "Still, there's not enough to go on right now."

"I see," Haibara said, feeling the sudden heavy atmosphere in the room. She looked over to Conan, who was deep in thought; he was clearly in deduction mode. "Ne, Kudo-kun," Haibara said, interrupting Conan's thoughts and causing the boy to look up. "Do you know why I told you about this?"

"Huh? What do you mean _why_?" Conan asked, clearly not understanding the question.

"I've actually had this realization since the museum heist. But I've kept it to myself the entire time. Do you know why I finally decided to tell you?" Haibara asked, though she answered herself before Conan had a chance to respond, "It's because of what you said."

"I'm not really following," Conan said slowly.

"'We're in this together.' That's what you said to me. And now I'm showing that I trust those words of yours, Kudo-kun. That's why I told you."

"Haibara," Conan said.

"Now show me that you believe those words yourself," Haibara said, surprising Conan.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me what's bothering you," Haibara said, "And before you say nothing, let me just point out that you turned down a soccer game earlier and you haven't reference Holmes even once all week."

"What kind of evidence is that?!"

"And don't tell me that you were up too late watching some bogus detective mystery show," Haibara continued, completely ignoring Conan's protests. "Well?" Haibara demanded.

At that, Conan couldn't help but laugh. "You've changed a bit, haven't you?" Conan asked, causing Haibara to blush with embarrassment.

"We're talking about you, baka," Haibara said, folding her arms across her chest.

Conan gave her a smile but his expression quickly became serious. "Nightmares," he said.

"Nightmares?"

"I've been having them for a while now. It's always me in an interrogation room, being tortured," Conan admitted.

"Is that why you look so tired all the time?"

Conan nodded. "I can see it whenever I close my eyes."

"Do you have any idea what's causing it?"

"I don't know. But I think they've been happening ever since I got kidnapped by that Black Organization member."

"Do you think it's related?"

"Maybe. Lately, they're becoming more and more real," Conan explained, reflexively looking down at his hand. He could feel it twitching slightly.

"Kudo-kun-" Haibara began but a phone call suddenly interrupted the conversation.

"Ah, sorry, can I take this?" Conan asked, pointing to his phone.

"Go ahead."

Conan nodded, walking to a different room. He took a breath to clear his head before picking up the call. "Hello?"

"Ah, Kudo?" the voice greeted.

"Hattori? What's up?"

"Ah, well, you see, it's like, um, so, yeah," Heiji stuttered.

"Ha?" Conan asked, having no idea what Heiji was getting at.

"Well-"

* * *

"How are you today?" Vermouth asked as she stood in front of the gravesite. "Are you enjoying the sunshine? Isn't spring the prettiest season? I know you used to love it the most. More than anyone. The flowers. The birds. Remember the time you pretended to be a woodpecker? You almost got a concussion from hitting your head too hard against a tree!" Vermouth let out a laugh at the memory. "Anyways, I hope you're doing well. Oh, I almost forgot! I've brought you something." Vermouth reached into her bag, pulled out some mochi balls, and placed them on the grave. "They're strawberry flavored, your favorite. Don't worry. You'll be able to eat as much as you want soon. Just wait a little longer, okay? Otousan is working hard. And I am too. So just sleep a little longer, alright?"

A sudden phone call pulled Vermouth's attention away from the tomb. "Hello?" Vermouth said as she answered the call. "Hm? Okay. Okay. Yes, I'll be there soon," she said before hanging up. Vermouth took one last look at the grave. "Sleep well, Otouto," she said before returning to her car.

As Vermouth drove off, away from the cemetery, a hummingbird flew by and landed on the gravestone. It pecked at the mochi balls a few times, causing one to roll off onto the ground. But finding it distasteful, the bird carried itself up into the air on the back of a gust of wind. The wind also served to erode the stone, on which was etched the following:

Konton Naku  
1966-1973

* * *

"Hahaha."

"Don't laugh!" Heiji yelled.

"Sorry," Conan apologized, trying to calm himself down, "so you came in last place?"

"Enough already. So, can ya do it or not?" Heiji asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I'll have to ask, but we'll probably be free next week."

"Yosha!" Heiji exclaimed.

"Tell me again why you want me and Ran to be there when it's supposed to be _your_ date with Kazuha-san?"

"Well, it'd be awkward if it was just the two of us, right?"

"Baka, that's how a date is supposed to be," Conan retorted.

"Anyways, I'll come over next week. Ya can pick the restaurant," Heiji said.

"Ha? Oi, oi, is this still _your_ date?" Conan asked with a sigh. "Whatever. Alright. I'll see you next week, Hattori," Conan said, hanging up the phone. As he returned to the living room, he took a glance at the clock; it was nearly dinner time. "Ah, sorry, Haibara," Conan said, noticing that Haibara was still waiting on the couch, "I should probably get going now."

"Okay," Haibara said, as she walked him to the door, "Be careful, Kudo-kun."

Conan nodded. "Thank you, Haibara," he said before leaving.

Haibara closed the door behind him and turned, feeling her heart beat a bit faster than normal. "Thank you, huh?" she whispered, putting a hand on her chest.

* * *

"Gochisou-sama," Conan said after he finished eating. He brought the dishes to the sink and then made a beeline to his room, opening his math notebook when he got there. He had no intention of working on math though. Instead, he was focused on the singular sentence written on the page: San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen. He, if Conan assumed the boy to be a projection of himself, had said it in the last dream. But what was it supposed to mean? It sounded like Japanese, but when translated, the sentence didn't make any sense. Was it supposed to be a code of some sort? Or maybe it didn't mean anything at all? After all, it wasn't like dreams were logical things. Conan sighed, once again returning to the sentence.

San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen.

When he translated it into Japanese, he got:

Three zero power five two yes four eight destination.

Excluding the numbers, he was left with, "power yes destination." Was that supposed to mean something? Somewhere with electricity? And what did the numbers mean? As far as he could tell, the numbers didn't fit any recognizable pattern. Even, odd, prime, Fibonacci…nothing.

Conan twirled his pencil around, wondering if he was on a fool's errand. Still, he couldn't bring himself to stop. Not just because it was a puzzle to be solved, but because Conan felt as though understanding the singular sentence would shed some great light onto his nightmares.

"Three zero?" Conan repeated to himself. "Maybe it's not three zero, but thirty?" After all, the numbers were all in pairs. But that still didn't explain why there were random words interjected between the pairs of numbers. Conan sighed. Why would there be a code in his dream in the first place? Before he got to wonder about it further, Ran suddenly called.

"Conan-kun!"

"Hai?" Conan reply, looking up from his notebook.

"Come here for a second," Ran said.

Conan got up and walked to the living room. "What is it, Ran-neechan?"

"Here," Ran said, handing him a newspaper. When she saw his confused look, she elaborated, "Kaitou KID's released a new heist notice."

"Oh, shouldn't you show this to Kogoro-ojisan?" Conan asked innocently. In truth, he was suspicious as to why Ran would show him first before the "famed" detective.

"Otousan's out buying more beer," Ran replied.

"Sou ka," Conan said, taking the newspaper. _Is that all there is to it? _Conan wondered, still suspicious, but putting it to the side for the time being. He glanced down at the notice, which read:

Tomorrow at 8PM  
OmiT seTUp if Only to fail  
answEr The RepOrt sWapping  
-AUNTIE NTK

Below the message was KID's patented doodle, confirming that the message was genuinely from the thief.

"What do you think it means?" Ran asked.

"No idea," Conan answered casually, trying to draw attention away from himself. "Maybe Ojisan will solve it when he gets back," Conan said as he headed back to his room. While he wanted to solve the heist notice, doing so in front of Ran would only make her more suspicious of his identity.

Upon returning to his room, Conan pulled out his notebook again and wrote down the heist notice from memory. The time would be obvious- tomorrow evening at eight. But the location was still a mystery. Was the answer in the next two lines? "Omit setup if only to fail, answer the report swapping," Conan read to himself. "Setup?" Did the format of the message matter? Following that train of thought, Conan noticed that several letters were capitalized strangely. "O-T-T-U-O on the first line. E-T-R-O-W on the second line. And each line has exactly twenty six characters, including spaces. Setup? Swapping? An anagram?" Conan played around with the letters, trying different combinations. After a few minutes, he set his pencil down. "Well, this could work but...it feels too easy," Conan said, looking at the notice again. Something about it bugged him. "Wait," Conan suddenly said, "that's it!" There was something missing from the notice: what KID was planning to steal. KID always included the name of the gem in his notice. "But then why not this time?" Conan wondered. And who the heck was Auntie NTK?

Just then, Conan heard the door open as Kogoro returned. "Otousan, it's a new KID notice!" Ran was saying, no doubt handing the detective the newspaper. There was a brief pause before Kogoro burst into obnoxious laughter. "I've got it, Ran!" Kogoro exclaimed, "Call Nakamori-keibu!"

"Hmm, Occhan got it?" Conan mumbled, shifting his gaze from the door to his notebook. "Well, whatever," he said with a shrug. Even if Kogoro had somehow magically got the right answer, Conan still wanted to figure it out for himself. And he was close too, now that he figured out the trick to the notice. "Let's see, if I put this letter here and that one there-" Conan mumbled as his pencil flew across the surface of the notebook. "And then-" Conan said, holding up the fingers on his left hand. "One, two, three, four, five. Okay, so it's like this. Alright. That takes care of those two lines, but what about the last one? Another anagram? They're all capitalized. Is it an anagram for Kaitou KID? No. Hold on," Conan said, hand on his chin. He let the letters play around in his head for a moment before the answer finally hit him. "This is-!" Conan exclaimed, leaping out of his chair.

* * *

_"Shinichi-niisan! Wake up, Shinichi-niisan!"_

_"Ugh, huh?" I feel myself mumble as my eyes slowly open. I have to blink a few times before my eyes focus._

_"Ah, you're awake!"_

_I look over to see who was talking. "C-conan-kun?" I exclaim in surprise as I notice the boy staring at me. He gives me a smile._

_"I'm glad Shinichi-niisan is okay!" the boy chirps._

_"Wait, what's going on?" I ask, more to myself than anyone else. Why is Conan here? Conan's not real, right? There's no actual person called "Conan", right? I lift a finger and poke him in the face._

_"Eh? What was that for, Shinichi-niisan?" Conan asks, pouting his cheeks._

_"Ah, sorry," I say, momentarily stunned by the situation. "But, Conan-kun, what-" I ask before Conan suddenly stops me._

_"Shhhh, it's starting," he says, a serious expression overtaking his face._

_"What's starting?" I try to ask but stop mid-sentence as a melody begins to permeate the air. "This is-"_

_"Requiem for a Dream," Conan says, finishing my sentence for me._

_"Requiem for a Dream," I repeat, feeling my body begin to tremble for some reason. A headache abruptly develops, causing me to grip my head in pain._

_"He's here," Conan says, pointing down below. I follow his finger, for the first time noticing that we are floating above a room. The room is dimly lit, with nothing but a chair at one end. It is reminiscent of a throne room from medieval times. As I look on, a boy is brought into the room; the boy looks unconscious._

_"Put him down," a voice suddenly says. I look around before realizing that it came from the chair. There must be someone sitting there, but the darkness is hiding his presence._

_The man puts the boy down as he is told and then with a bow, exits. The boy just lies there and all is silent for a moment._

_"How long are you going to make me wait?" the man in the chair suddenly says._

_At that, the boy stirs and stands up. He rubs his eyes a few times, as if just waking up. "It was my first nap. I wanted to enjoy it for a bit," he says._

_"Hmph, you're quite insolent aren't you?"_

_"Insolent? Is it so wrong to enjoy life a little? It's my first time, you know," the boy says._

_"Don't forget why you're here," the man counters, still speaking from the darkness._

_"Hai, hai. I'm here thanks to you and your limitless kindness, right? How can I ever thank you? Perhaps you'd like to do something naughty with me?" the boy asks, blowing a kiss._

_"Enough!" the man says, displaying the scariest kind of anger- cold anger. The boy is evidently shocked by the anger as well; he falls into silence. There is a rustling noise as the man stands up and walks out of the shadows. He approaches the boy and stands in front of him. Instantly, I notice the man's deformed appearance. He is hunched over and his gait has an apparent limp. Though his face is hidden from view, it is likely to be deformed as well. Still, in spite of looking like a crippled old man, something about his presence demands respect and fear. And it is out of respect and fear that the boy lowers his head, eyes focused only on the floor._

_The man stands there for a long time before he finally speaks. "That's what you wanted to hear, right?" the man says, his voice taking a drastic change in quality. The roughness and anger is gone, replaced by a melodic quality, as if produced by singing angels. Lured by the inviting quality of the man's voice, the boy lifts his head. "You were trying to find my breakpoint, weren't you?" the man asks. The boy slowly nods. "Haha, I thought so. I knew it was right to choose you," he says, giving the boy a pat on the head. The boy's eyes to open wide in surprise, though he remains silent. With one last pat, the man takes a step back. "Now, let's get down to business," he says. "You still don't have a name, right?"_

_The boy nods his head slowly, curious as to where the man is going with this._

_The man pauses before finally speaking. "How about Wolf then?" he suggests._

_"Wolf," the boy repeats, trying the name out._

_"It sounds good on you, Wolf-kun," the man says. He extends a hand, which the boy, Wolf, gingerly takes. "Let's work together, Wolf-kun."_

_The boy smiles in turn, and for the first time, I realize I had been mesmerized by the encounter. Breaking away from the scene, I am brought back to my senses._

_"Conan-kun, do you know what's going on?" I ask as I turn my head to the side. It is only then that I find Conan is no longer beside me. Confused by the situation, I quickly look down, but the room is suddenly gone as well._

_And before I know it, I am completely surrounded by darkness. _

* * *

**The Next Night**

* * *

"Mouri-san, are you sure about this?" Nakamori asked, glancing at the famed detective with doubt.

"You saw the message yourself, Keibu," Kogoro protested, holding a copy of the notice in his hand.

"Hai, hai," Nakamori sighed. "Alright, men! Make sure this place is airtight," he ordered into the radio.

"Do you think KID's going to show?" Ran asked, standing nearby.

"Of course! KID-sama always shows when he gives out a notice," Sonoko replied. "Speaking of which, where the brat with the glasses? Doesn't he usually show up to these things as well?"

"Conan-kun? He said he wasn't feeling too well, so he's resting at home."

"Hm, did he get a cold or something?" Sonoko asked.

"I don't know," Ran said, her voice turning into a mumble, "He looks really tired lately."

"What was that, Ran?" Sonoko asked.

"Ah, nothing."

"Oh, okay. Well, it's almost eight," Sonoko announced, handing Ran her phone. "If you see KID-sama, try and get a picture of me and him in the same frame! I'm leaving it up to you, Ran!"

"You're asking for the impossible, Sonoko," Ran laughed.

* * *

Kaito looked at his watch for what felt like the million time. "Seven fifty-six. Four minutes until show time," Kaito said to himself. He leaned back against the railing of the roof and sighed. "Maybe the riddle this time was a bit too obscure?" Kaito mumbled, but then instantly shook his head. What was he saying? It was Conan after all. He'd get the puzzle. There was no need to worry about it.

Kaito turned around and looked out, the entire town stretched before him. Aside from the hum of traffic below, the night was quiet. No sirens. No police. Well, at least that much had worked out. Kaito looked down at his watch again. "Eight o' clock," Kaito noted.

Just as the words left his mouth, the silence of the night was broken by the creaking of the roof door. There was a pause before the door swung open, followed by footsteps as someone approached. Kaito felt a grin snake its way onto his face. _Ah, don't get too excited,_ Kaito reminded himself. In one swift motion, Kaito put on his poker face and turned around to greet his guest.

"Punctual as always, Tantei-kun," Kaito said, eyeing the detective.

"Of course," Conan said, a confident grin on his face, "Especially when I get a personal invitation from the great phantom thief himself."

* * *

"Any movements?" Nakamori asked on the radio.

"Negative, inspector," was the general consensus.

"What's going on, Mouri-san," Nakamori asked.

Kogoro, who was standing beside the inspector, looked just as confused. "The notice-" Kogoro began before Nakamori angrily cut him off.

"To hell with the notice! It's already past eight, and he's obviously not here!"

* * *

"So, what did you want, KID?" Conan asked flatly, a rather bored expression appearing on his face.

"You're so cold, Tantei-kun. I thought you enjoyed our little encounters," Kaito replied, taking a close look at Conan's face. _We look like twins?_

"Ha?" Conan replied, the bored expression changing into a confused one.

"Ah, never mind," Kaito said, shaking his head. _Now's not the time to be thinking about that. _"Truth is, I called you out here tonight for some serious business," Kaito admitted.

"Business? Oi, oi, what's this all about? This isn't like you at all, KID," Conan said.

"I think the more incongruent person is you. Don't you think, Tantei-kun?" Kaito asked elusively.

Conan wasn't quite sure what KID was getting at, but something felt off about the whole meeting. He took a few steps closer, to make sure KID wouldn't try anything funny.

Kaito paused when he noticed Conan moving closer. Did the detective think he was going to pull something? _Well, I guess that's understandable_, Kaito thought, realizing how weird the situation must be for the detective. Still, after much consideration, Kaito had come to the conclusion that he had to confirm the detective's true identity. And what better way than to lure the detective out with a heist notice? _Now, show me your true colors! _

"Ne, Tantei-kun, let's play a game," Kaito suddenly suggested.

"Another one of your stupid games?" Conan replied.

"I think you'll like this one," Kaito remarked, "Here's how it goes. We each ask the other one question, and the other person has to respond truthfully."

"Ha? Why do I have to play this game with you?" Conan replied. _More like, how do I know you'll tell the truth, even if you answer?_

"Oh, but it'll be so much fun," Kaito said. _That's right. You won't know. But it'll benefit me. You see, I trust my poker face._

"Maybe for you," Conan replied. _And that's why I can't play this game. No matter what he asks me, he'll be able to tell if I'm lying._

"Oh, c'mon. I'll even let you go first," Kaito said. _So your two options are to lie or tell the truth. Either way, I'll be able to figure out the right answer. Now, what will you do, Tantei-kun?_

Conan shot a glare at KID._ Tch…he got me_.

Kaito smiled back at Conan._ You're mine._

"Can I take your silence as a yes?" Kaito asked, the smirk growing wider on his face. He could tell Conan was busy trying to think of a way out. Just then, Kaito noticed Conan had a backpack with him, probably containing a paraglider. "Or maybe you'll just run away?" Kaito said eyeing the backpack, though he knew full well that the detective wasn't the type to back down after a challenge.

"I-" Conan began, a look of frustration on his face.

Kaito glanced over at the detective, savoring the victory. It seemed somewhat fitting, that the Magician Under the Moonlight should win on such a night. It was a full moon after all. And with the full moon, everything below was illuminated with a ghastly pale light. The illumination also created a sudden glint as it reflected off something, catching Kaito's eye. Kaito's attention instantly focused onto the building across from theirs, where the glint had come from. "Is that-?" Kaito mumbled as a sudden realization hit him. "Crap!" he exclaimed, his body already in motion. He sprinted towards Conan, diving as he came close. Kaito was just a tad too late, however, as he heard the dull thud of a bullet penetrating his body. Then came the searing pain, the sensation of his body burning, before the world became dark.

"KID? KID?!" Conan yelled as he felt the thief collapse onto him, motionless. "KID!" Conan called again, suddenly feeling the wetness of blood as KID bled out all over him. "KID! KID!"

* * *

**Post Story Notes  
**

SO MUCH PLOT! Anyways, here are some questions for thought:

1. Can you figure out the location of KID's heist? Hint: the obvious answer is where Kogoro went.

2. Can you figure out the meaning of the message Conan heard in the dream?

3. Yes, Haibara's step father is the Boss of the BO (not really a question lol).

4. What do you think about Naku, my first OC?

5. I guess I don't have to ask but what did you think about the ending?

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! See you in Chapter 34!


	34. Arc Four: How To Save A Life

**Solution to Heist Notice - Hints:  
****-**The capitalization: O-T-T-U-O and E-T-R-O-W  
-The number of letters per line being exactly twenty six.  
-The name of the gem missing (allowing for multiple heist locations to be possible).  
-The obvious answer being the wrong one.  
-Swapping referring to more than an anagram; ie. replacing letters with other ones.

The true heist location is **Haido Hotel**.

Here is how to get the answer:  
1. Note the position of each capitalized letter (the "setup"): 1-4-8-9-15 and 5-8-12-15-20  
2. Match number with corresponding letter: A-D-H-I-O and E-H-L-O-T  
3. Solve anagram to get **Haido Hotel**.

Now on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

He wasn't quite sure what happened. One minute, Kaitou KID was trying to convince him to play some stupid game; the next, the thief was charging at him and knocking the two of them onto the ground.

And now KID was laying on top of him, seemingly unconscious.

"KID! KID!" Conan yelled, trying to wake the thief up. Despite his calls, however, KID remained limp and unresponsive. "KID!" Conan tried again, this time a hand moving to KID's back. His hand instantly froze, however, when it touched something wet. "Is he-?!" Conan exclaimed, pulling his hand back towards his face. In the pale moonlight, Conan noticed that his hand was covered with blood. Kaitou KID's blood. "Oi, KID!" Conan called, now realizing why the thief had suddenly collapsed- he had been shot.

"Damn it!" Conan cursed, using all his strength to shove the thief off and to the side. _If KID was shot, that means there's a sniper around. __And the best location would probably be-, _Conan thought, still laying on the ground but eyes darting around, -_There! _Conan squinted his eyes at the building behind him, looking for any sign of the sniper. And sure enough, an occasional glint could be seen, the reflection of moonlight off the barrel of a rifle.

"Damn," Conan cursed again, realizing the delicacy of the situation. With the sniper's scope trained on them, they wouldn't be able to move around easily- not that KID was really in a condition to be moving around. Conan quickly glanced over at KID, who's face was now growing as pale as the moonlight, the complexion of someone who was fast approaching the next world. _Is he still alive? _Conan wondered, glancing around the rooftop for a hiding place. That's when he noticed the roof access.

"That should work," Conan muttered, realizing that it'd probably be a blind spot for the sniper. "Alright," Conan said calmly as he gathered his strength. Though adrenaline was rushing through his veins, though he could hear the pounding of his heart echoing in his ears, he knew he had to keep calm and use his head. That was the only way they were going to get out of the situation. "One, two, three-!" Conan said, leaping up and grabbing onto KID's arms. As soon as he began moving, he could hear bullets ricocheting off the top of the roof. Evidently, their sniper friend was not happy that they were still alive. Conan, however, paid no heed to the high-speed rocks being thrown at him, instead concentrating solely on one goal: getting KID and himself behind the roof access. _Three feet. Two. One. _With a final heave, Conan threw himself and KID behind the safety of the wall. The bullets stopped flying soon after.

Conan breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed backwards, exhausted. He was panting and beads of sweat began running down his face. At least, he thought it was sweat until he moved a hand up to wipe it away. That's when he discovered it wasn't sweat, but blood. The discovery also came with a sharp sting in his head, as if someone had just smashed it with a pickax. "The fall-!" Conan groaned, gripping his head in pain. He must have hit the roof hard, though the pain had been temporarily masked by the adrenaline induced runner's high. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the pain was coming in full force.

"Got to check if KID is alive," Conan struggled through clenched teeth, trying to ignored the pain. He didn't get far before collapsing, the throbbing in his head paralyzing. "Got to-" Conan tried again, reaching out a shaky hand towards the thief. But he could no longer see the thief clearly, his vision growing blurry as he trod on the edge of consciousness. Just before going under, Conan heard a voice in his head. "_Would you like me to take away your pain?"_ the voice asked. But before Conan had a chance to reply, he felt his hand drop to the ground as darkness began to set in.

* * *

"Snake, you there?"

"What, Rooster?" the man, known as Snake, replied gruffly.

"They're hiding behind the roof access. I don't have a clear line of sight," Rooster replied.

"You mean you let them get away," Snake said snidely.

"Idiot. They're trapped on the roof. We have agents on the ground and I've got the roof covered. Now we just need you-"

"Don't order me around, you damn cock," Snake interrupted, hanging up the phone. As he put the phone away, he pulled out a Glock in its place. "Don't worry, I'll go clean up your mess," Snake said as he loaded the gun, a sinister smile forming from ear to ear.

* * *

As Conan opened his eyes, he felt what could only be characterized as tranquility. Much as one feels after a nap, Conan was at peace. His head no longer throbbed; his heart no longer pounded. At that moment, he had not a care in the world. But much like the summer breeze, the blissful feeling did not last long. The weight of reality suddenly came crashing back: the meeting, the gunshot, the blood. Was KID still alive?

Conan erupted into motion, moving over to the thief and placing his ear on the thief's chest. For a moment, Conan could feel his own heart stop as he tried to sense KID's.

_Ba-Dum. Da-Dum. _

_He's alive!_ Conan exclaimed, sitting back in momentary relief. He knew it was too early to celebrate though, given the thief's rather shallow breathing. In all likelihood, shock was starting to set in.

Conan quickly unbuttoned KID's shirt, in search of the bullet wound. He found it located between the right shoulder and chest. By the look of things, the bleeding had slowed, but it hadn't yet stopped. And there was no way to tell how much internal bleeding was still occurring. Conan pulled off his own shirt and used it as a compress, hoping to at least stop the external bleeding.

"It won't matter if I stop the bleeding though, as long as we're stuck on this roof," Conan mumbled to himself as he pressed down hard on KID's wound. The realization led Conan to another thought: Who was shooting anyways? Could it be _Them_? Or was it someone who was targeting KID? A thief would undoubtedly make enemies...

Conan shook his head, realizing that it was irrelevant at the moment. What was important now was how to escape from the roof. It was dangerous to leave the cover of the roof access, given that the sniper was still lurking about. And even if they could make it into the hotel, there was no guarantee that the sniper didn't have associates waiting for them inside. So how would they escape?

Conan scanned around, his eyes settling on the edge of the roof. An idea came to mind.

"It's risky, but-" Conan said, turning to look at the thief. KID's condition appeared to only be getting worse. "It's the only way," Conan said resolutely. With his plan in mind, Conan reached for his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Hakase," Conan said.

"Oh, Shinichi, I was-" Agasa began but Conan quickly cut him off.

"Hakase, I need you to bring the beetle to the Haido Hotel as soon as possible. Park on the south side and call me when you get here. Also, bring the transfusion kit and pack a trauma bag," Conan instructed. "And if Haibara tries to come with you, make sure to stop her," Conan said, remembering that the sniper might very well be from the Black Organization.

"Eh?! What's this about, Shinichi? Are you injured?" Agase exclaimed, sounding worried and confused.

"I'm fine, but there's no time to explain. Hurry, Hakase," Conan said, hanging up the phone.

* * *

"Hakase, where's the lighter? The striker isn't working and I need to start the Bunsen burner," Haibara said as she made her way upstairs. To her surprise, the professor was rushing around, busy collecting things into a bag. "What's going on, Hakase?" Haibara asked, realizing that something was very wrong.

"Shinichi's in trouble," Hakase said, zipping up the trauma bag and throwing it over his shoulder. With his free hand, he picked up the transfusion kit.

"What?!" Haibara exclaimed, perhaps more forcefully than she intended. "Is he okay?" she asked, quickly toning down.

"He's not injured but he did sound out of breath on the phone. Anyways, I'm heading to the Haido Hotel right now," Hakase said, moving towards the door. When he noticed Haibara following him, he put up a hand to stop her. "Shinichi said to make sure you stayed away," Hakase relayed. Before Haibara had a chance to protest, the professor was out the door, leaving the girl to worry alone.

* * *

_"Yosh, looks like the coast is clear," Kaito said as he peeked through the slits of the vent. His diversions had worked; all the officers were busy trying to find him on the floor above, which meant the gem was completely undefended._

_With one swift motion, Kaito kicked open the grate and dropped himself into the room below, landing gracefully as his cape fluttered behind him. "Still, Nakamori-keibu's really on the ball today," Kaito mumbled as he idly wiped the sweat from his forehead. The inspector had almost caught him twice, though Kaito managed to slip away both times at the last minute. "Guess it's too early for him to match wits with the great Kaitou KID," Kaito smirked, approaching the glass case which housed the gem he was after. Kaito quickly went to work extracting the gem. _

_"There," Kaito said once he had the gem in hand. He was about to turn tail and leave when sudden footsteps surprised him. Kaito quickly spun around and noticed that it was a police officer._

_"That's an interesting thing you have there," the officer said._

_"Ah, officer," Kaito greeted with a fake smile, "This really isn't all that interesting."_

_"Hm? I wonder about that," the officer said, an unreadable smile appearing on his face._

_Something's off about this officer, Kaito thought to himself as he instinctively took a step back. The posture, the cold detachment, the smile, everything seemed a bit off. And Kaito's instincts were quickly rewarded as the officer abruptly pulled out a gun and fired. Already on alert, Kaito managed to dodge, throwing down a smoke bomb as he did so. Then without pause, Kaito turned and started sprinting down the hall. "What the hell?! He just starts shooting?!" Kaito exclaimed as he went full speed ahead, "What kind of officer is he?" _

_Kaito threw a glance over his shoulder and noticed the officer chasing after him a few meters back, gun still pointed forward. "Crap!" Kaito exclaimed, trying to run faster. He had to lose the nutjob officer somehow. Kaito made a beeline for the stairs and sprinted up, hoping to camouflage himself with the officers in the floor above._

* * *

"Damn it, it's not stopping," Conan cursed as he pressed his shirt down more forcefully. "The average adult can lose about two liters of blood before dying of blood loss," Conan recounted. How much had KID lost already? Based on KID's rapid breathing and pale complexion, Conan estimated at least one liter, maybe a liter and a half.

He could literally feel the life oozing out of the thief.

Just then, the phone in Conan's pocket began to ring. Conan instantly reached down and answered it. "Hakase?"

"I'm here where you told me," Agasa replied.

"Okay, hold on," Conan said as he crawled on his belly to the edge of the roof. Once there, Conan peered over and was just able make out the top of the yellow beetle. "Alright, let's do this," Conan said as he returned to KID's side. He tucked on the backpack straps a few times to make sure they were securely fastened to KID's body. Then he pulled KID over to the edge of the roof, lifting the thief so that he was just hanging over the edge. "On three," Conan said, taking a deep breath as he glanced down at his target. "One." For the first time, he realized how high up they were and how painful it would be if his plan didn't work. "Two." And what if he couldn't hold on the entire time? "Three!" Conan shouted, just as the door to the roof burst open. Conan hesitated a moment, turning to look at the new arrival.

"KID, die!" a man shouted as he stepped onto the roof. The man was dressed in black and holding a Glock that was aimed directly at them.

"Go!" Conan shouted, throwing himself and KID over the edge of the roof. At the same time, the man pulled the trigger on his Glock, the bullet flying right past where Conan was a moment before.

As Conan and KID plummeted off the roof of the Haido Hotel, Conan quickly let open the paraglider on KID's back, allowing the two of them to slow their descent. They landed onto the top of Agasa's car with a heavy thud.

"Hakase!" Conan shouted, calling for the professor to pull KID into the backseat of the car. While the professor was busy with that, Conan jumped off the roof himself and got into the backseat as well. Before he entered, Conan threw a quick glance back at the roof. The man in black was leaning over the edge, looking down at them and gun still in hand. Without pause, he started shooting at the car, though given the gun's accuracy, the bullets naturally flew wide. Conan quickly shut the door, just as Agasa made it back to the driver's seat.

"Go!" Conan shouted, causing Agasa to floor the gas pedal.

* * *

_"Alright, now I just have to follow the crowd outside," Kaito mumbled to himself as he stood amongst the other officers, happy that he managed to escape the trigger-happy maniac. What was with that officer anyways? Kaito shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. He'd wait until the search for KID was called off. Then the officers would file out of the building. That would be his chance to escape. Or so Kaito thought, just as an announcement came through the voice radios._

_"Ahem, ahem," a voice, which sounded like Nakamori, said, "Attention all officers. Kaitou KID is currently disguised as one of us. Please confirm the badge numbers of those around you. KID should have a stolen badge with the number 28810."_

_"What?!" Kaito exclaimed silently, careful not to draw attention to himself. "How the hell would Nakamori-keibu know that? Wait…maybe it's not Nakamori-keibu?" Kaito mumbled, tapping his chin thoughtfully before quickly shaking his head. Again, it didn't matter. What did matter was that h__e was in deep trouble._

_ Quietly, Kaito tried to sneak off before someone had a chance to ask him about his badge._

_But before he could disappear, a nearby officer caught him. "Where are you going?" the officer asked. _

_"I need to use the bathroom," Kaito replied, trying to look as desperate as possible._

_"Let me see your badge first," the officer said, holding out a hand. _

_"Uh, sure," Kaito said, reaching into his pocket. What he pulled out wasn't a badge, however, but a smoke bomb. Kaito quickly threw it down and escaped to the staircase in the ensuing chaos._

* * *

Haibara pulled the needle out of her arm and cleaned the area with some disinfectant, placing a Band-Aid over it once she was done. She then took the bag of blood she just withdrew and examined it, sighing when she realized that it barely amounted to half a pint. "Still, I guess it's better than nothing," Haibara said, putting the bag in a cooler along with several other bags of blood. Haibara figured that if Conan had asked for a transfusion kit, then someone had lost a lot of blood. And given she was O+ (and hence a universal donor), Haibara decided she'd prep for the eventuality. After all, it wasn't like she could sit around idly and await his return.

"Hopefully, it's enough," Haibara mumbled, dropping herself on the couch. Between the blood she just drew and the blood she stored for Apoptoxin testing, there was about one liter of O+ blood (from her) and one liter of B- blood (from Conan). "Still, it's strange that he didn't just call an ambulance."

Just as she finished her sentence, the door burst open; Conan sprinted in, with Hakase following close behind. Haibara also got off the couch, though perhaps a bit too quickly as she suddenly become woozy.

"Kudo-kun!" Haibara exclaimed when she saw the little detective, "You're covered in blood!"

"I'm fine. Help me set up for a blood transfusion. And you have some of my blood stored, right? Bring them to the guest room!" Conan instructed.

"Sure, but-" Haibara said, her eyes drifting to the "patient" Agasa was carrying. "Kaitou KID?" Haibara exclaimed, recognizing the thief, whose usual white outfit was now stained red.

"Haibara!" Conan yelled, trying to get Haibara to focus.

"R-right," Haibara said, running to go set things up. _Kaitou KID?_ Haibara wondered, mind racing to figure out how such a situation could have developed.

* * *

_Kaito opened the door and stepped out onto the roof, the night breeze causing his cape to flutter wildly. He didn't stop to enjoy the cool air though, and instead, moved briskly to the edge and pulled out his hang glider. Normally, he was all for waiting around and taunting the police as he made his escape. But his instincts tonight were telling him to escape as quickly as possible. And that was exactly what he planned to do, at least, until a voice interrupted his take-off. _

_"You're too predictable," the voice said. Kaito turned and realized it was the crazy officer from before._

_"You knew I was going to be here?" Kaito asked, taking a step closer to the edge of the roof._

_"Of course. With officers chasing you, you had nowhere to go but up, where you thought you could escape with your hang glider. The roof was naturally where you'd end up."_

_"Oh, I'm impressed," Kaito said, his poker face concealing the sense of dread he was feeling, "So, who are you, anyways? You're obviously not a police officer."_

_"There's no point tell you, seeing as you'll be dead in a few minutes," the officer said, that same odd smile still on his face._

_Kaito wasn't smiling though, his usual smirk and charming demeanor no where to be seen. After all, he could tell the difference between a genuine threat and a bluff; the officer wasn't bluffing. And if the abrupt no-questions-asked shooting was any indication, what the officer said might really come to pass._

_Without saying another word, Kaito threw himself backwards, off the edge of the roof, his hang glider extending out as he did so. As he soared into the night sky, a sudden flurry of bullets flew by. Through crafty maneuvering, Kaito was able to avoid any direct injuries, but the bullets managed to shred his hang glider. With the fabric full of holes, Kaito quickly dropped from the air._

_"Crap, this is going to hurt!" Kaito exclaimed as he crashed into the trees below._

* * *

"How's he doing?" Haibara asked, handing Conan a glass of water.

"Thanks," Conan said as he drank it greedily. Then setting the glass aside, he said, "He's stable for now. Hakase managed to remove the bullet fragments and patch things up. Assuming there aren't any other complications, he should recover."

"I'm still surprised that Hakase used to be a field medic for the army," Haibara pointed out.

"It was thirty years ago, but well, he was able to manage somehow," Conan replied, "What surprised me more was that KID has the same blood type as me."

"You mean B-," Haibara clarified.

"Yeah. It's pretty rare for-" Conan began, suddenly feeling tired. He felt himself grow lightheaded before abruptly collapsing.

"Kudo-kun!" Haibara exclaimed, catching him just before he hit the ground.

* * *

_"Kaito! What the heck happened to you?" Aoko asked, noticing how beat-up Kaito looked. His arms were covered with bandages and he had several Band-Aids on his face._

_"Ah, this? I just fell from a tree by accident," Kaito replied. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. He had just left out a bit of stuff that had happened prior._

_"Are you okay? You should go see a doctor!" Aoko said._

_"I'm fine," Kaito reassured, "And besides, it's weird having you worry about me."_

_"Ha? Bakaito! I wasn't worried," Aoko said, crossing her arms._

_"You looked worried though."_

_"I said I wasn't worried!"_

_"You know what would make me feel better? Ta-da!" Kaito said, flipping Aoko's skirt. "Oh, they're pink today."_

_"Bakaito!" Aoko said, grabbing the nearest thing and chucking it at Kaito._

_Kaito quickly dodge and made for the door, running outside. Aoko followed after._

_"Um, Sensei, they do know that class is still going on, right?" one of the students asked._

* * *

"Kudo-kun, are you okay?" Haibara asked, noticing that Conan was slowly opening his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Conan said, pulling himself to a sitting position. "I must've drawn a little too much blood."

"Well, because of that, KID's alive," Haibara pointed out.

_That's right, _Conan thought, _I just saved KID's life_. Mindlessly, Conan moved a hand up, right between his shoulder and chest. _And if KID hadn't blocked for me, the bullet would be here instead._

"Kudo-kun?" Haibara called, realizing that Conan was staring off into space.

"I'm going to take a shower," Conan said, standing up. He suddenly felt a need to get all the blood off himself.

* * *

_"Kuroba-kun, may I speak to you for a second?" Akako said, gesturing to an empty classroom._

_"What do you want, Akako?" Kaito asked, stepping inside. Dealing with the witch was always such a hassle._

_"You had a heist yesterday, right?" Akako asked, closing the door behind them. The two of them were alone in the room._

_"Don't you already know the answer with your crystal ball thing?" Kaito asked, sounding rather bored. _

_"You might want to try and be a little nicer. I'm helping you out here," Akako said._

_"Huh? How so?"_

_"Don't you want to know who that officer was? You saw it too, right? He's not just some normal cop."_

_"Go on."_

* * *

Haibara looked up from her laptop when she noticed Conan walking into the living room. "I've called Mouri-san and informed her you were staying over at Hakase's."

"Sorry about that. Thanks," Conan said, his voice sounding rather flat and monotone.

"Are you okay, Kudo-kun?" Haibara asked, standing up and approaching the boy. "You were in the shower for an awfully long time."

"I'm fine," Conan replied, turning to look at Haibara. Haibara stared back, and for a split second, she thought she saw violet irises behind Conan's bespectacled face. But then she blinked and when she looked again, they were their usual shade of blue.

_Did I just imagine that?_ Haibara wondered.

"I'm going to check up on KID," Conan said, snapping Haibara out of her thoughts.

"O-okay. Just make sure to get some rest, alright?" Haibara instructed.

Conan nodded and left, making his way to the guest room. Once there, he cracked open the door and peered inside. With what little light was available from outside, Conan could see KID laying on the bed. The thief's breathing had finally slowed down, and he was looking slightly better than before. Still, it would probably be a while before he made a full recovery.

As Conan looked on, he wondered just who had shot at them. It didn't seem like the Black Organization. Though the man who came onto the roof at the end did dress exactly like how _They_ did (completely in black), he had shouted KID's name, meaning he was after the phantom thief. And what was more disturbing was the man's utter lack of hesitation when pulling the trigger.

"Looks like you have it pretty rough too, huh?" Conan mumbled.

* * *

_"I asked Lucifer. Apparently, that officer is actually a part of an organization called Zodiac."_

_"Zodiac?"_

_"I believe you've already met one of the members before. Does the name, Snake, ring a bell?"_

_"Snake?!" Kaito exclaimed. That was the code-name of the man who had killed his father._

_"He's a member. And the one who was disguised as an officer was Monkey. There was also the sniper who shot you out of the sky. That was Rooster."_

_"Monkey? Rooster?"_

_"Yes. Monkey because he is good at imitating others. Rooster because he finds a roost and snipes with deadly accuracy."_

_"Roost. Someone who roosts. Roost-er. Rooster. Chicken. Oi, oi, a pun-" Kaito said, a deadpan expression on his face._

_"Their names might be ridiculous, but they are unquestionably skilled. Do you remember when you heard Nakamori-keibu's voice over the radio? That was actually Monkey. His voice imitation skills are probably just as good as yours, Kuroba-kun."_

_"So, what's with Monkey and Rooster all of sudden?"_

_"Because your ploy has marginalized Snake. That's the reason behind always announcing your heists, correct? Sure, it could be for the challenge of it. That probably plays a part. But announcing the robberies also increases police presence. Which means that Snake can't move around easily. But be careful Kuroba-kun. These new enemies are much more crafty, as you've already seen."_

_"Heh?" Kaito remarked in surprise, "You sure managed to figure out a lot. You probably even know where Pandora is, right? My job would sure as heck be easier if you just told me where to find it."_

_"Of course I know where it is, but-" Akako said, pausing as if suddenly thrown into a dilemma. A contorted expression could be seen on her face._

_"I was joking," Kaito said, poking Akako in the forehead. The witch's expression instantly lightened as it was replaced by one of surprise. "It'd be meaningless if I don't find it through my own efforts," Kaito said, putting on his usual smirk. "You agree, right-?"_

* * *

"-Otousan," Kaito mumbled as he slowly woke up, blinking a few times to try and clear his vision. Morning had just arrived and sunlight was shining through the window. Kaito felt himself squint, his eyes unusually sensitive for some reason.

"Where-?" Kaito asked, suddenly realizing the hoarseness of his own voice. He was parched and his throat felt like sandpaper. Kaito glanced around wondering if there was anything he could drink. That's when he noticed Conan, sitting in a chair next to the bed, body bent over and fast asleep. And just like that, the events of the night before came rushing back. _Right, I remember getting shot. And someone calling my name. And...I'm alive?_ Kaito stared at Conan for a moment. The chibi-detective was sleeping with such a peaceful look on his face that Kaito couldn't help but smirk. Had the detective saved him? Now that was an interesting turn of events.

Just as he was thinking about the detective, Conan stirred a little and woke up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with both hands. And for a moment, Kaito couldn't help but stare at the sight, mesmerized not only by Conan's childish mannerisms, but by how genuine they appeared. After all, Kaito knew the truth now behind Edogawa Conan, knew that he was actually Kudo Shinichi. While fading in and out of consciousness, Kaito had heard the detective's two companions call him "Shinichi" and "Kudo". Still, to make the act appear so natural, to embrace the persona so fully, well, Kaito would have expected no less of the detective.

"Ohayou, Tantei-kun," Kaito greeted.

"You seem pretty energetic, KID. Feeling better?" Conan asked, standing up out of the chair.

Kaito began to nod, but then stopped, the strangeness of the situation suddenly hitting him. For some reason, he had forgotten they were arch-rivals, forgotten that they were on opposites sides of the law, forgotten that Conan had no reason to save him and all the reason to turn him in. And yet here he was, in the detective's home instead of chained up in a hospital bed somewhere. "Why-?" Kaito began but then stopped for a second time when he noticed that he was still looking through his monocle. As he reached a hand up to his head, he felt the familiar top hat there as well.

"I figured you'd want to keep them on," Conan replied, noticing the thief's confused expression.

"But that was the perfect chance to figure out my identity," Kaito replied, struggling to sit up. Was the detective lying or had he really not stolen a peek? No one could resist that kind of temptation right?

"Baka, what are you talking about?" Conan asked flatly.

"Eh? Don't you want to know?" Kaito asked, surprised by Conan's response.

"Of course, I do," Conan admitted, "But not like that." Then looking away, he added, "You did save my life, after all."

"And you saved mine," Kaito replied.

"I guess so," Conan said, looking back at Kaito, "It's lucky we share the same blood type otherwise we'd have been in big trouble for the blood transfusion."

"We have the same blood type, huh?" Kaito mumbled, Aoko's "twin theory" making an abrupt appearance in his mind. Kaito quickly shook the thought away, only to have it replaced by another: _Tantei-kun's blood is inside me._ For a split second, Kaito felt some strange emotion that he couldn't quite put a finger on. It quickly passed, however, when he began to laugh uncontrollably, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.

"What so funny?" Conan asked.

"A detective saving a thief," Kaito said, pulling himself out of bed. As he stood, he could distinctly feel the wound on his chest, which threatened to open if he moved about too much. "It would have been much easier to bring me to a hospital and yet you did all this," Kaito continued, lifting up his shirt to show Conan the bandages wrapped around his chest. "And you've even lent me some rather outdated clothes," Kaito joked, referring to Agasa's T-shirt.

"Baka, then you would have been arrested," Conan said plainly.

"Isn't that precisely what you want?" Kaito shot back, lifting an eyebrow.

"Not like this," Conan repeated, a determined look on his face.

"You're a weird fellow, you know that, Tantei-kun? Saving your arch-rival and all," Kaito shrugged.

"Boro, it doesn't matter who you are or what the reason is," Conan replied, "For killing someone, people have all sorts of reasons that I don't understand. But to save a life, a logical reason isn't needed."

Kaito felt his eyes open wide in surprise, his poker face slipping for a moment. _As I suspected, Tantei-kun is full of surprises, _Kaito mused. Then turning to Conan, he laughed and said, "You really are weird."

"Ha?" Conan said, blushing, "You're the one who's weird for calling me out to that roof in the first place. What did you want to ask me anyways?"

"Ah, it's not important anymore," Kaito shrugged. _After all, I already have my answer and there's no need for you to know that I know_.

"Then can I ask you a question?" Conan said, catching Kaito off-guard, "Who was that sniper?"

Kaito smirked and gave Conan a wink. "We all have our secrets, Tantei-kun," he said, making for the door, "Anyways, I should get going now."

"Baka, what are you saying? You need to stay here and rest."

"Sorry, if I stay here any longer, I might catch your detective disease," Kaito replied.

"Ha?" Conan remarked, but before he got a chance to continue, Kaito threw down a smoke bomb, instantly filling the room with white smoke. "If you want to leave so badly, just use the front door, damn it. Why'd you throw a smoke bomb?" Conan exclaimed between coughs.

"Isn't it more interesting this way?" Kaito whispered into Conan's ear as he passed by the detective.

"Baka! You'd better get that wound treated properly. If you do a half-assed heist next time because your wound gets infected, I won't forgive you."

"Of course. We're arch-rivals, right?" Kaito asked, disappearing into the smoke.

"Boro, no one even uses the term arch-rivals anymore," Conan mumbled as a grin crept onto his face.

* * *

_It's so dark. Why is it so dark? I can't see anything. Wait. I hear voices. A conversation?_

_"Konbanwa. Or maybe it's ohayou? Which do you think it is, Wolf-kun?"_

_Wolf-kun? Why does that name sound so familiar? Why can't I remember._

_"Does it really matter?" Wolf replies._

_"No, I suppose not. How are you feeling today?"_

_"A little lightheaded."_

_"Well, that's to be expected."_

_There is a pause._

_"What do you want from me?" Wolf asks, breaking the silence._

_"Direct. I like that. I'll tell you then. I want to show you the world."_

_"Show me the world?"_

_"Yes, show you the real world. You see, some things can only truly be appreciated when shared with others."_

_"You're not going to say you want me to be your friend or something, are you?"_

_"Friend? No, no. Nothing so banal."_

_"Then what?" Wolf asks. _

_"Tell me, what do you think is the backbone of the world?"_

_"Backbone? You mean, people?"_

_"Bzzt. Wrong. Humans are expendable. Like maggots, we reproduce and infest all corners of the world. And like the winter snow, we quickly melt away, leaving little of value behind. No, the true backbone of the world is ideas and motivations."_

_"Ideas and motivations?"_

_"That's right. People are but vehicles for ideas. And they are controlled by their motivations. If you can manipulate the backbone, the rest of the body will naturally dance for you."_

_"Is that what you want from me? To make me dance for you?"_

_"No, no. You're much to special for that."_

_"Then I still don't understand what it is you want," Wolf admits._

_"Let__ me ask you this: what do you think justice is?"_

_"I don't have any opinions on the matter."_

_"Well, that's to be expected. Let me tell you then. Justice is an illusion, a notion created by the weak. Unable to survive by their weakness alone, they've created this limitation of justice. Don't kill. Don't steal. Follow the laws. Isn't this all really just a ploy to limit the power of the strong? So you see, there is no justice. But if one had to give a definition, if one had to define justice, define what was right, then it would simply be that which the strong desire. Those who are able, are just. Nothing more, nothing less. And you and I belong to those which are able. That is what I want to show you. That is the world to which we belong."_

* * *

"Tadaima!" Conan chirped as he walked through the door of the agency.

"Okaeri, Conan-kun," Ran said as she came over. "How was the walk?" she asked, referring to the walk Conan just took Watson and Holmes on.

"It was fine," Conan replied, scratching the two dogs behind the ears. Lately, the two dogs were growing at an exponential rate; height-wise, they had already reached his waist. He could only imagine how big they'd get in the next couple of months.

"That's good to hear," Ran said, patting Watson on the head. Holmes instantly began to whine, at which Ran moved to pat it as well. "Conan-kun, do you want to take a bath? I'll leave the hot water on for you," Ran said as she headed towards the bathroom.

"Oh, uh, I'm fine, Ran-neechan. I'll take a bath some other day," Conan said, looking a little dodgy.

"Okay, if you say so," Ran said as she walked off. She threw one last glance back at Conan before shutting the bathroom door. _What was that about?_ Ran wondered.

* * *

"Whoever did this did a half-decent job," the doctor said, "I've re-stitched a lot of the interior and applied some more antiseptic to prevent infection. I'll also prescribe an antibiotic for you, just in case."

"Thanks, Tamuro-san," Kaito said as he collected his things, glad that the doctor had approved of his release from the hospital.

"Make sure to avoid lifting heavy objects, alright? The muscle was torn and you need to let it heal."

"Got it," Kaito said, taking the prescription from the doctor's hand.

Tamuro sighed. "Kaito-kun, I promised Konosuke-san that I wouldn't ask questions, given what I owed your father. And I plan to honor that promise. But be careful okay? That bullet wound was only one centimeter away from your heart."

"I will. Thank you, Tamuro-san."

* * *

"Conan, you totally lied!" Genta shouted angrily.

"About what?" Conan asked, notably confused.

"You said you'd play soccer with us yesterday, but you didn't even show up to school!"

"Ah, something came up," Conan replied.

"Eh? And Ai-chan wasn't at school either," Ayumi protested.

"You two are absent together a lot," Mitsuhiko point out. "Ah! Could you two be eloping?"

"Ha?!" Conan and Haibara exclaimed in unison.

"Wait a minute, where did you even hear a word like that?" Haibara asked.

Conan interrupted before the conversation could get more awkward, "Okay, okay. I get it. Let's go play soccer after school. How does that sound?"

"Yatta!" the Shonen Tantei exclaimed.

* * *

"Tadaima!" Conan said as he dropped his backpack off by the door.

"Okaeri, Conan-kun," Ran greeted, but then frowned when she noticed how dirty the boy was. "Conan-kun, you're a mess!" Ran commented.

"Oh, I was just playing soccer," Conan explained.

"You have dirt everywhere," Ran said, rubbing some of the dirt off his cheeks with a finger. "Here, I'll go prepare the bath for you."

"Ah, I just remembered that the teacher assigned a lot of homework today!" Conan exclaimed, pulling away.

"But you always finish your homework so quickly. You can take the bath after that," Ran countered.

"I'm really tired from soccer so I think I'm going to sleep right after. Oyasuminasai!" Conan said as he dashed into his room, leaving a confused Ran standing by the door.

* * *

"Come in. Ah, Mead."

"Boss, the new reports," Mead said, handing over a stack of papers. There was a momentary silence as Etanoru read through the pages. Once he was done, he put the report down and turned his attention to Mead.

"The CC coefficient is a bit low, isn't it?" Etanoru asked, a tone of disappointment evident in his voice. Mead simply nodded, long since having learned that it was best to let his boss lead the conversation. "The emergence rate is 100% though. Tell me, what is the current stability rate?"

"Seventy-five percent," Mead said, noticing the instant frown on the boss' face.

"That's too low. We can't risk spontaneous onsets," Etanoru said.

"I agree, Boss."

"Then what do you plan to do about it?" Etanoru asked, leaning back in his chair.

"We can increase the timeline-" Mead began but he was instantly cut off.

"That's not an option. Let's increase the frequency instead," Etanoru instructed.

"That's risky," Mead said, but then immediately realized his folly. He could feel Etanoru's eyes boring holes into him.

"Do you not read your own reports, Mead?" Etanoru asked. Mead felt it safest to simply not respond. "They're heavy sleepers," Etanoru continued, "And besides, even if our plan is discovered at this stage, there's nothing he can do about it. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, Boss," Mead said, hoping that that would be the end of the meeting.

"One last thing, Mead. San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen. Have you figured out yet?" Etanoru asked.

"That was what the kid said, correct?" Mead replied, choosing each word carefully. "I have had our analysts working on it but so far, they haven't been able to break the code, assuming it has any meaning at all."

"Very well. You are dismissed," Etanoru said, waving the scientist away. Mead quickly took the opportunity to exit, leaving Etanoru alone in the room. "A code, eh?" Etanoru mumbled to himself, "I would expect nothing less."

* * *

Conan cracked open the door to the agency and peeked inside, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed that no one was around. Feeling that it was safe to enter, Conan pushed the door open wider and slipped inside. He wasn't in for more than three seconds before Ran suddenly jumped him, putting him in a strangle hold.

"Conan-kun!" she exclaimed, holding the boy tight, "Bath time. Now!"

"I'll do it later, Ran-neechan!" Conan said, struggling to get free. Obviously, he was no match for Ran though.

"Why are you avoiding baths?!" Ran asked.

"I'm not avoiding them. I told you, I'll take one later," Conan protested.

"Sou?" Ran said, letting Conan free. "That means your not afraid to take them, right?" she asked, using the oldest psychological trick in the book.

"Of course not," Conan said, looking away.

"I see. In that case, go take a bath right now," Ran said, pushing him towards the bathroom.

"Ah, wait!" Conan said, but it was too late. Ran had already locked him into the bathroom. Conan turned around and sighed, stepping up to the mirror. Why did it even matter that he was dirty? Conan wondered as he stared at himself, the bags still quite prominent under his eyes. For a couple of days, the nightmares had stopped, replaced by strange conversations that he couldn't understand. But now the nightmares had returned, with even greater frequency than before. Conan wondered how long he could keep going on like this, surviving on such little sleep. With another sigh, Conan began to strip, and then moved to the shower to turn the water on. As the water began to beat against the sides of the shower, Conan could feel that instinctual fear again rising within himself. His heart began to quicken, as if to prepare for the coming storm. Gingerly, Conan reached a finger out to the shower, feeling the water touch his skin.

"So far, so good," Conan remarked, shoving more of himself into the shower. A hand. An arm. His torso. His entire body.

As Conan stood under the shower, he felt the warm water begin to wash over him. And to most, the feeling was a pleasant one, a refreshing one. However, to Conan, the droplets of water felt like little needles, stabbing at him from above. Instantly, he felt his body begin to tremble and flashbacks of his nightmares filled his mind. The feeling of drowning began to invade his senses, pushing out all other emotions, all other thoughts. It felt like he was dying.

Instantly, Conan dropped to the floor of the shower, balling himself up into a fetal position in the hopes that he wouldn't vomit. "It's just a bath. It's just a bath," Conan repeated to himself, much like a ritualistic chant. However, his ritual had little effect; his body kept trembling under the onslaught of the water, already very much beyond his control. And Conan knew, he knew that the fear had become pathological, that he had somehow developed aquaphobia.

"Why is this happening?" Conan muttered, realizing his own degenerate state. For the first time in his life, the genius detective felt lost, felt out of control. As the water washed over him, all Conan could manage was to blank his mind and let things run their course. And in the course of things, a voice reached out to his mind. It was the same voice as before, with the same question as before.

"_Would you like me to take away your pain?"_

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Hey guys, so...I don't know how this chapter ended up being so incredibly long...but KID's alive...so there's that xD

And I wonder how many of you got the heist location? :P Sorry if it was a tad on the convoluted side.

Anyways, as for this chapter, Kaito and Shinichi are finally becoming all buddy buddy, so we'll see where that goes. There's also the mysterious spooky voice in Conan's head (wonder what that's all about). Hm...oh yeah, and there's the appearance of a new antagonistic, and equally black, organization: Zodiac. Stay tuned for what happens with them. I think I've rambled enough.

Next Chapter: Heiji and Kazuha go on a date. Can Conan prevent it from being a disaster? See you guys in the next chapter!

**Don't forget to leave a review!**


	35. Arc Four: Date or Disaster?

A/N: Just wanted to give a thanks to everyone who has left a review (and so quickly too)! Not going to lie, the fast responses really motivate me to update faster :P So I think this pace of updating is good and as long as everyone is able to keep up, I plan to keep the ball rolling.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

**Warning: Punny chapter incoming. Those allergic to terrible jokes should wait for the next chapter. You have been warned.**

* * *

_A room? It looks familiar. And who are those two? Wait. They're saying something._

_"Ah, Wolf-kun. What's wrong? You look troubled," the man says to the boy._

_"Of course. You said some troubling things," the boy replies._

_"Is it that you don't agree?"_

_"I think it is more that the entire world doesn't agree."_

_"And why should that influence the validity of what I said?"_

_"It is not a matter of validity. It is one of epistemology."_

_"I do not quite follow."_

_"The way humans obtain knowledge is through consensus."_

_"Oh? I'm surprised. I didn't realize you were such a humanitarian."_

_"Don't misunderstand. I'm merely pointing out that conformity is important, especially to survival. Those who stick out are shunned. Those who fit in are accepted. That is simply how the world works."_

_"And if I showed you a different world, one in which the enlightened take their proper place?"_

_"Right, you said that to me before. And I still maintain that there is no such world."_

_"That is where you are mistaken. It exists; you only have to open your eyes to it."_

_"If it is really as easy as you say, then why has no one else found this world you claim to exist?"_

_"That is because only a certain kind of person can unlock the gate to the world about which I speak."_

_"And what kind of person would that be?"_

_"The one who does something simply because he can. You see, therein lies the greatest pleasure."_

_"Now I'm the one not following."_

_"Let me give you a metaphor. Right now, you are like a lion at the zoo, locked in a cage but satisfied as long as you keep getting fed. That is a reflection of your 'survival'. But what you fail to realize is that the lion is actually the king of the jungle. In the jungle, the lion does what it please, goes where it pleases, kills what it pleases. And here one might ask, what is the meaning of 'pleases'? Allow me to tell you. Pleasure comes not from satisfying a 'need'. It does not even come from satisfying a 'want'. True pleasure comes from satisfying a 'can'. Like I said, Wolf-kun, you are a caged lion right now, but in my hand, I hold the key. Tell me, would you like me to set you free?"_

* * *

"Conan-kun, are you sure Hattori-kun invited us to come?" Ran asked, poking her head out of the bathroom.

"Un! Heiji-niisan said to meet him at the bus stop," Conan replied. _In fact, he practically insisted it_.

"Okay then. I'll be done in a minute, so get ready to leave," Ran said, closing the bathroom door.

"Hai!" Conan chirped as he returned his attention to the paper sitting on the table in front of him. On it was written the "dream code": San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen. Conan had gotten as far as "30 den 52 un 48 sen," but now he was questioning if it had been right to group the number pairs together. Then again, the sentence made no sense either way.

Conan sighed as he leaned his head against his left hand, a pencil twirling around in his right. Something about the numbers still bothered him, as if he had seen them before somewhere. But he couldn't quite place a finger on it. It also didn't help that he felt like falling asleep every two seconds.

"Maybe it's not Japanese after all?" Conan mumbled to himself as he stared blankly at the paper. _Heck, it might not be any language at all_. What if the sentence was just gibberish? It wasn't like his dreams as a whole made a lot of sense.

"What are you looking at, Conan-kun?" Ran asked as she suddenly appeared next to him.

"Ah, it's nothing!" Conan quickly replied, shoving the paper into his pocket. "Just some puzzle I saw on the internet. Ahaha."

"Sou?" Ran asked, seemingly losing interest, "Shall we go then?"

"Un!" Conan said with a nod as he and Ran made for the bus stop.

* * *

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"What is it, Boss?" Gin answered gruffly as he picked up his cellphone.

"Your Porsche has a DVD player, correct?" Etanoru asked, also sparing little time for niceties.

"Yes," Gin replied, suspicious as to why the man was suddenly asking.

"Good, I have a job for you. I need you to conduct a drive-by," Etanoru said.

"Any specifications on weapons to use?"

"I have a DVD prepared."

"Hai? Is this some kind of joke?" Gin replied as irritation began to set in.

"No, I really have the DVD. In fact, I'm holding it in my hand as we speak."

"Don't fuck around with me," Gin cursed, "You expect me to kill someone with a DVD?"

"Kill? Nonsense. This is a simple observational operation. You are to drive by the target while playing the DVD and report what you observe. You can do that, right, Gin? I've always had great faith in your observational skills."

"Enough with the flattery," Gin replied, still ticked off. "Who is the target?"

"Edogawa Conan."

"That brat again? Why don't you ask Vermouth? She seems to have some illogical obsession with him after all."

"That's precisely why I am asking you, Gin."

"Oh? This is a surprise. It's rare for you to leave the beloved Vermouth out of the loop," Gin taunted.

"I'll leave it to you then," Etanoru said curtly before hanging up.

Gin shut his phone and tucked it back into his pocket. As he lit a cigarette, he smirked, realizing that he had managed to get under the boss' skin as well.

* * *

"Are they almost here?" Ran asked as the two of them waited by the bus stop.

"I think so. Heiji-niisan said they'd arrive at noon," Conan replied, taking a look at his phone. The clock read 11:50, which meant about ten more minutes of waiting.

"Maybe you should text them, just to be sure," Ran suggested.

Conan nodded and flipped open his phone. After finding Heiji in the address book, he typed the following message:

_We're at the bus stop. How far away are you guys right now?_

"And send," Conan said, shutting his phone afterwards. It was less than a minute before he received a response. "Ah, Heiji-niisan replied," Conan said, flipping open his phone again. "Woah, it's really long! How'd he even manage to type so much?!" Conan exclaimed as he scanned through the message.

_Yo, Kudo! Sorry 'bout the delay. Ya see, I got distracted tryin' to figure out what to wear, since this is the first time I've done anythin' like this. I was thinkin' of wearing a suit, but that seemed too formal. Plus, I didn't own a suit anyways. So I just went with a T-shirt. Do ya think it's too casual? Well, I guess it's too late to do anythin' about it now. Oh, by the way, what d'ya think about loafers? I think they're pretty comfortable, but I don't know. They're my dad's so…maybe they're too old fashion?_

"What the heck is this message?!" Conan remarked when he finished reading. _I didn't ask him about any of that! And he didn't even answer my question!_ Conan just sighed, rubbing his temples.

"What did Hattori-kun say?" Ran asked, peeking over Conan's shoulder. "Eh? Why'd he write 'Kudo'?"

"Geh," Conan exclaimed, trying to think of an excuse, "Ah, it was probably just a typo. He meant kudos! Like, 'thank you for messaging me', or something like that!"

"Ah, sou. Hattori-kun's a pretty nice guy, huh?" Ran asked, giving Conan a smile.

"Un!" Conan chirped, forcing a smile in turn. _Damn that Hattori. Even in texts, he manages to almost give my identity away!_

"So, when are they arriving?" Ran asked.

_Gah! I still don't know! _Conan thought, beginning to feel frustrated. Would he really be able to make it through the whole day? "Uh, give me a second, Ran-neechan," Conan said as he sent Heiji another text.

_I think loafers are fine. You said you were delayed, right? What time are you arriving?_

"And send," Conan said, as he awaited the reply. A ding announced the arrival of Heiji's reply.

_You should have told me sooner. I ended up going with sneakers. _

"Sneakers and a T-shirt? Isn't that exactly what you normally wear?! Why even talk about it, baka!" Conan yelled at his phone.

"Conan-kun, is something wrong?" Ran asked, worried by his sudden outburst.

"Ah, nothing, ahaha," Conan laughed, trying his best to put on a happy face. "Geez," Conan sighed, typing in another message.

_Well, glad you figured out what to wear. Now can you please tell me what time you're arriving? -.-_

"And send," Conan said, wishing it to be the last time. It wasn't long before the response came.

_I'm here._

Conan looked up from his phone and sure enough, the bus was just pulling into the stop. Conan could feel his eyebrows twitch as his hand squeezed the phone, threatening to snap it in half. _That idiot…_he thought, realizing that the day was just beginning.

Would everything really be alright?

* * *

"To save a life, a logical reason isn't needed, huh?" Kaito mumbled as he stood in front of the mirror. In his reflection, the scar from the bullet wound was painfully apparent, like a small crater on the surface of his skin. Kaito moved a hand over it, but even a gentle touch reminded him how tender the area was still.

"Well, at least I'm alive," Kaito reminded himself. And he had Conan to thank for that. As Kaito stared into the mirror, his thoughts drifted to the detective, lingering on the curiosity that was Edogawa Conan.

"No, wait. Kudo Shinichi," Kaito said, the name sounding strange on his tongue. To think that all this time, he was actually matching wits with a high school detective.

"You're one interesting fellow, aren't you, Tantei-kun?" Kaito laughed, just thinking about the absurdity of it all. His laugh was short-lived, however, when he considered how the shrunken detective must be feeling. While it was amusing for him as an observer, Conan probably did not find it very amusing. _Shrunken against his will, forced to sacrifice those around him._ Kaito's eyes opened a bit wider as he realized just how much he and the detective shared. It was remarkable for two people to be so similar and yet different. _A love of the chase. A secret identity. Blood. "You two could be twins_."

Aoko's voice came floating back into his mind; Kaito shook the thought away. _And dangerous enemies._

"Men in black," Kaito mumbled, recalling what he had read from Hakuba's journal. Kaito wondered if they had any relation to his own men in black, Zodiac.

As Kaito let his mind drift on the matter, he found himself gravitating towards the bed. _Is Tantei-kun looking for them?_ Kaito wondered, as he collapsed onto his mattress. _And what will he do when he finds them?_

Kaito turned so that he was lying on his back. _And how do I factor into all this?_

The last question took the teen by surprise.

"How do I factor into all this?" Kaito repeated out loud, wondering what he could have intended by such a question.

"Nothing's changed right?" Kaito mumbled, as his eyes slowly slid shut. "Nothing at all."

It wasn't long before he was fast asleep.

* * *

"Yo, Ku-, I mean, Conan-kun!" Heiji said, waving as he exited out of the back of the bus.

"Heiji-niisan!" Conan said, running up to the Osakan and giving him a hug. Or at least, that's how it appeared. Conan was, in fact, painfully pinching Heiji in the back.

"Oww!" Heiji exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Hattori-kun?" Ran asked, noticing Heiji's distressed look.

"Ah! Nothing!" Heiji said, faking a smile. "What the heck was that for, Kudo?!" Heiji whispered, shoving the boy off.

"I was just a bit annoyed," Conan replied, shrugging.

"Ha?!" Heiji remarked, a confused look on his face.

"Anyways, where's Kazuha-neechan?" Conan asked, looking around.

"Oh, she's comin' out the front of the bus. See? She's right there," Heiji said, pointing to Kazuha.

"Why were you two on opposite ends of the bus?" Ran asked.

"Oh, about that," Heiji began, recounting the bus ride:

_"So Ran-chan and Conan-kun are meetin' us at the bus stop?"_

_"Yeah, though it's kind of annoyin' that their taggin' along."_

_"Weren't you the one that invited them, Heiji?"_

_"I guess so. But that's before I learned that I might get proposed to. I mean, it'd be awkward if they were watchin', right?"_

_"P-propose?!"_

_"Ha? What's wrong? You're turnin' all red."_

_"Aho! Stay away from me! Don't touch me!"_

_"Kazuha wait! Where are you goin'?"_

"So that's what happened," Heiji explained nonchalantly.

"Ha, I sort of get it now," Ran and Conan sighed in unison.

"Ran-chan!" Kazuha waved as she walked towards them.

"Kazuha-chan!" Ran greeted as she gave the girl a hug.

"Yo, Kazuha, now that I take a second look, your **dress** looks really good!" Heiji remarked.

"Eh? **Bress**(t)?" Kazuha asked, turning red. "Heiji, you pervert! Stop lookin' at them!" Kazuha shouted, slapping Heiji across the face. "Let's go, Ran-chan," she said, pulling Ran away by the arm.

"Did I say somethin' wrong?" Heiji asked, still a bit in shock.

"I think you just started the day off on the wrong foot," Conan replied, a deadpan expression on his face as he watched Ran and Kazuha walk away.

* * *

"Bocchama, lunch is ready," Jii called as he set the table. He had recently come over after hearing that Kaito had been shot, figuring that the teen could use some extra care for the next few days. "Bocchama?" Jii called again, though there was still no response.

After waiting for a moment, Jii decided to go upstairs and check up on the teen. "Bocchama?" Jii said, knocking on Kaito's bedroom door.

Still no response.

He tried one more time before pushing open the door and entering. "Bocchama?"

That's when Jii noticed that Kaito was lying on the bed, breathing heavily. He was covered with sweat, his face flushed red. A hand was also clutched over his chest. "Bocchama?!" Jii called again, gentling nudging the teen to wake up.

"Jii-chan?" Kaito said hoarsely as he opened one eye.

"Bocchama, are you alright? Is it the surgery?" Jii asked, noticing that Kaito was clearly in pain.

"I feel hot, Jii-chan," Kaito said. Jii put a hand to Kaito's forehead and confirmed that it was indeed the case.

"You're burning up!" Jii exclaimed.

"Gah!" Kaito let out, gripping his chest again.

"Come on, Bocchama! I'll bring you to the hospital, right now!"

* * *

"So, the weather is pretty nice today, right?" Ran asked.

"Un," Kazuha replied softly, so much so that she was barely audible. Heiji, on the other hand, shouted, "Definitely!" at the top of his lungs, drawing the attention of all the customers in the restaurant and almost blowing out Conan's eardrum. Despite their difference in volume, however, one thing was the same; as soon as each responded, each blushed and developed the wandering-eye disease, determined to avoid looking at the other.

_What…what's with this atmosphere?_ Conan thought, at a loss for words. Ever since sitting down at a table, the Osakan couple had been on edge: no eye contact, random outbursts, and above all else, fidgeting! Didn't Heiji and Kazuha normally get along fine? Then what was with the awkward situation? Conan could tell that Ran was trying her best to remedy the situation, but it was having little effect.

"Ne, why did you two start dating?" Conan asked, trying to break the silence.

"D-d-date?!" Heiji and Kazuha exclaimed in unison, both blushing red.

"Eto, sono," Conan started, unsure where to go after the outburst. _Aren't they on a date?!_ "Ah look! The food's here!" Conan exclaimed, changing the topic and saving himself the further headache.

* * *

"How is he, Tamuro-kun?" Jii asked as the doctor came out.

"He's asleep now," Tamuro replied, "I've run several tests. His white blood count appears normal, meaning it's not an infection. His wounds haven't opened either and there's no signs of internal trauma or complications from the surgery."

"Which means?"

Tamuro sighed. "There's nothing physically wrong with him," the doctor said, "The pain seems more psychosomatic than anything else."

"Psychosomatic?"

"Meaning it's in his head," Tamuro elaborated, "Well, I guess it's not surprising given that he was shot and faced a near death experience."

"Oh, I see," Jii said with a rather somber expression.

"Don't worry. He'll recover given time. Kaito-kun's a strong boy," Tamuro reassured.

"Hai," Jii replied, leaving the two men in silence.

"Ne, Konosuke-kun, just what was Kaito-kun doing?" Tamuro asked after a pause.

"Sorry, Tamuro-kun. I promised I wouldn't say."

"I get it," Tamuro said, "I guess we still both owe a lot to Toichi, huh?"

"Hai," Jii replied, a warm smile appearing on his face.

* * *

"Gochisosama!" Conan said, putting down his chopsticks.

The food had been great, and would have been perfect, if it were not for a certain awkward couple. Conan turned to his side and sighed for the millionth time when he saw the pitiful sight. Heiji and Kazuha were still determined to stare at everything except each other, and Ran had long since stopped trying to make conversation. After all, her attempts only seemed to make things worse. Though it wasn't really Ran's fault. How Heiji could mishear Ran's, "Your china looks so pretty, Kazuha-chan," as a lewd remark about a certain female body part was beyond understanding. It was also incomprehensible how, after mishearing, Heiji could brazenly repeat what he thought he heard. Needless to say, the situation ended in a slap to the face. And since then, neither party has bothered to breathe the same air as the other.

In short, the "date" had become more an experiment in torture than anything else. And the worst part of it was, they were supposed to do more activities after lunch. Just thinking about it caused Conan to shutter. Though he was reluctant, Conan realized he had to intervene somehow, before the situation reached a climax.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Conan suddenly announced, standing up.

"Hurry, we're leaving soon," Ran said, happy to finally be able to speak without her words being turned into a euphemism.

"Hai! Heiji-niisan, come with me!" Conan said, pulling Heiji by the arm.

"Eh? Me too?" Heiji asked in surprise, "But I don't need to go."

"Come!" Conan hissed silently, dragging the Osakan along. "We'll be back soon!" Conan chirped, putting on a smiling face as he pulled Heiji towards the bathroom.

"They get along surprisingly well, huh?" Ran asked, unsure what to do but laugh at the situation.

* * *

"Oi, Kudo, what the heck are you doin'?" Heiji asked once they were inside the bathroom, "And why are we hidin' inside this stall?"

"Shut up and listen, Hattori," Conan said, "Look, you're the one who asked us here. And from what I gather, it's supposed to be a date. So let me turn the question right back. What the heck are _you_ doing?"

"What do you mean?" Heiji asked.

"Are you dense or what?"

"I don't want to hear that from you, Mr. It-took-my-girl-friend-cryin'-before-I-finally-con fessed."

"You did the exact same thing!" Conan accused, but then shook his head. "No, now's not the time for that. More importantly, you normally get along pretty well with Kazuha-san right? So why are you so awkward around her today?"

"I-I don't know," Heiji finally admitted, "It's like every time I think, 'We're on a date,' my heart goes pitter patter and I get all sweaty."

"Doesn't that just mean you like her?" Conan asked, surprisingly on the mark for once. After all, Conan was many things, but love-guru he was not.

"I suppose. Ah-ah, and that book I checked out isn't helpin' at all. I mean, it said to be careful about first-date proposals, but I think it was totally wrong," Heiji said.

"Book?" Conan asked.

"Yeah, since I've never gone on a date before, I figured I'd check out a book on the subject and learn some tips."

"That book, you have it with you?"

"Yeah, hold on," Heiji said, reaching into his shirt. He pulled out something and handed it over to Conan.

"Hattori," Conan said, feeling his eyebrow twitch again, "why are you carrying around the latest edition of Hustler?!"

"Oh, woops," Heiji said shamelessly as he took the magazine back. "The book told me I should have it prepared."

"Why the hell-?" Conan began, but then paused, "No, never mind. I don't even want to know. Just let me see the book."

"Here ya go," Heiji said, handing over a thin, soft-cover book.

"Trick or Treat by Dr. Strangelove, How to Turn Love into a Bomb," Conan read off the cover. "Ne, Hattori-" Conan paused, unsure where to even start.

"What?"

"Didn't you find the title strange?"

"Not really," Heiji replied.

Conan just sighed. "And where did you get this book?"

"Hm, the website was called XXX somethin' or another," Heiji replied.

"Oi, isn't that for-" Conan began, suddenly turning red. "-naughty pictures and stuff," he finished, his voice growing quite soft.

"Sou? I thought it was just a baseball site," Heiji replied, "You know, three strikes and you're out?"

"Well, I guess some people do count bases," Conan muttered.

"What's that?" Heiji asked.

"Ah, nothing!" Conan replied, "Anyways, just forget everything you learned from that book, okay? Then your date should go much smoother."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," Conan nodded, "Alright, let's go back to the table and give it a try."

"Okay," Heiji nodded as he opened the stall. As the two of them walked out, they passed by another customer. "Domo," Heiji greeted.

"Domo," Conan added.

"Uhhhh, domo," the man replied, wondering to himself why two guys had just walked out the same toilet stall.

* * *

"Jii-chan?" Kaito asked as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Bocchama, you're awake!" Jii said, standing up from his chair and moving to the hospital bed. "How do you feel?"

"Better," Kaito admitted, his chest no longer hurting.

"You look better too," Jii said, feeling that Kaito's forehead had cooled down.

"I'm sorry to make you worry, Jii-chan," Kaito said, smiling weakly.

"It's okay. I'll be here for you. Always," Jii said, patting the teen on the head.

"I know," Kaito mumbled, drifting off to sleep once more.

* * *

Conan sighed, but for the first time that day, it was in relief and not frustration. After their "pep talk" in the bathroom, Heiji had seemed to shape up and return to his usual composure. He and Kazuha were busy laughing at a joke.

"Looks like they're finally getting along," Conan said to Ran, who was sitting across from him.

"U-un," Ran said, a distracted look on her face.

"What's wrong, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked.

"Ah, it's nothing, just-" Ran started.

"Nani?"

"I'm kind of jealous of them," Ran admitted.

"Eh?" Conan remarked in surprise.

"I mean, they can see each other whenever they want."

"Ran-neechan-"

"Ah, gomen, Conan-kun. I'm just making the mood depressing, aren't I?" Ran asked, wiping away what was the beginning of some tears. She put on a cheerful face to reassure him.

Conan stared for a moment before suddenly getting up. "Ah, I forgot! Kogoro-ojisan wanted me to pick up something for him from the convenience store," Conan said, realizing that it'd be weird if he asked to go to the bathroom again. "I'll be right back."

"Eh?" Ran asked, surprised, "Why don't you just wait a bit? We'll go together."

"It's okay. I can handle it!" Conan said, running out the restaurant. He made sure to get a good distance away, to a park in fact, before pulling out his "Shinichi" phone. He dialed Ran's number; the phone rang several times before the call connected.

"Hello?" Ran asked.

"Hey, it's been a while," Conan said through his voice changing bowtie.

"Shinichi!" Ran greeted.

"Oh, you're sounding pretty energetic. And here I was, worried," Conan said.

"You were worried?"

"That kid with the glasses sent me a text saying that you were looking pretty upset and suggested that I give you a call."

"Conan-kun?"

"Yeah. But I guess you weren't that sad after all."

"Mhm, sorry to make you worry, Shinichi. Especially since you're so busy with," Ran paused, "cases and whatnot."

"Ran," Conan said, realizing just how lonely Ran must have been feeling, "I-"

"It's okay, Shinichi. You don't have to apologize. I understand how important cases are to you," Ran said, cutting him off.

_Ran, _Conan thought silently, unsure what to say next.

"Ne, Shinichi, it's your birthday next week, right?" Ran suddenly asked.

"Oh, yeah," Conan said, having completely forgotten.

"D-do you want to celebrate it together?" Ran asked.

"Ran, I-" Conan began.

"It's okay if you don't want to!" Ran quickly added, "I was just being selfish. I'm sorry. But if you're free, it would…I-"

"I'll try my best," Conan said, though more than likely it would just be an empty promise. Still, he felt like he had to give her something to hold on to.

"Really?" Ran asked, clearly overjoyed. "I'll give you a call next week then!"

"Oh, un, okay."

"Well, I have to leave. I'm at a restaurant with Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun and we're just about to head out. It's too bad you couldn't come with us; it was pretty fun."

_Fun isn't exactly the word I'd use, _Conan thought to himself.

"Anyways, I'll talk to you later, Shinichi. Thanks for calling," Ran said.

"Yup, see you," Conan said, hanging up the phone. "Was it bad to make that promise?" Conan wondered as he tucked his phone away into a pocket. It wasn't like he had promised to definitely be there right? All he promised was to try. Conan sighed, realizing how complicated his life had become.

He didn't get to idle long though, as suddenly, his phone began ringing again. Conan jumped a little in surprise, quickly pulling out his phone. It was Ran. _Why's she calling again?_ Conan wondered, preparing his voice changing bow-tie. "Ah, Ran? Everything alright?"

"Ah, sorry for calling again so quickly. I forgot to ask: what kind of cake do you want?"

"Cake?"

"For your birthday."

"Oh, uh, any kind is okay. You can pick," Conan said.

"Sou? Okay then. Bye," Ran said, hanging up.

Conan hung up as well, somehow feeling worse about his promise than before. _Maybe Haibara can make me a temporary antidote or something_, Conan thought, though he immediately recognizing it as wishful thinking. He could just imagine the scientist's disapproving face if he were to propose such a request.

"Well, I guess I'll just figure it out when the time comes," Conan said. He was about to run off to find Ran and the others when a voice suddenly called out to him.

"That was so cool, Onii-chan!" the voice exclaimed, causing Conan to jump in surprise. He quickly turned around and noticed it was a child.

_How long has he been there? _Conan wondered, _I couldn't sense his presence at all._ Quickly putting on a cheerful face, Conan said, "I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"Before, when you spoke into the phone, your voice changed! It was like magic!" the boy exclaimed.

_Crap, he saw that?_ _It'd be bad if he goes around telling people. _"That's right, it was magic!" Conan said, appealing to the boy's imagination. He'd rather have the child believing that then going around claiming he saw a voice-changing bow-tie.

"Ohhhh! Are you a wizard then, Onii-chan?" the boy asked.

"I am! And if you tell anyone about this, I'm going to eat you, understand?" Conan said, trying to put on his best scary face. The boy just laughed at the antics.

"You're funny, Onii-chan," he said, giggling away.

Conan smiled, confident now that the boy wasn't going to be spreading strange rumors about him. "Well, I have to go," Conan said, waving goodbye to the boy.

"Ah, Onii-chan," the boy suddenly said, causing Conan to pause a second time, "You dropped this before when you were taking out your phone." The boy held out a piece of paper.

_That's-_! Conan thought, quickly taking the paper. He opened it up and as he suspected, it was the sheet with the "dream code", the one he had stuffed into his pocket earlier that morning. "Thanks," Conan said.

"No problem," the boy replied. Then, a sudden thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "Although, I feel like I've seen that sentence before," he said, putting a finger to his chin.

_What's that?! He's seen the sentence before?!_ Conan wondered, not even upset that the kid had peeked at the paper. "Where did you see it?!" Conan exclaimed, grabbing the boy by the shoulders. He must have frightened the child, as the boy suddenly clamped up. Conan quickly let go and took a step back. "I mean, could you tell me where you've seen it before?" Conan asked, trying to keep his voice level.

The boy seemed to recover. "Hm, I think it was in a book or something," he said, an unsure look on his face.

_Did he really see the sentence before?_ Conan wondered, realizing that he may have overreacted. In all likelihood, the boy had just mistaken it for something else. "I see," Conan said, pulling away, "Well, thanks for your help."

"Un!" the boy chirped, a wide smile across his face. "Ne, ne, Onii-chan, I had a lot of fun today. Do you think we can play again sometime?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Conan replied.

"Yatta!" the boy exclaimed. "A-and do you think we c-could be f-friends?" he stuttered out, suddenly looking embarrassed.

"Aren't we already?" Conan asked.

The boy opened his eyes wide at that, a grin stretching from ear to ear. "Hai!" he chirped, suddenly running off.

"Oi!" Conan called, but the boy was already gone. "Taku, you didn't even tell me your name."

* * *

"Ran-neechan!" Conan called, waving a hand around.

"Ah, Conan-kun," Ran said as he approached, "Did you get what you needed from the convenience store?"

"Yup!" Conan said, holding up a bag of potatoes.

"Otousan wanted that?" Ran asked, looking confused.

"Maa, ahaha," Conan laughed, avoiding the question. "Where's Heiji-niisan and Kazuha-neechan?" he asked, changing the topic.

"Oh, they said they wanted some alone time for their date," Ran replied.

_That sounds so shady_, Conan thought, _But then again, that's how it should have been in the first place._

"So, shall we head home then?" Ran asked.

"Hai!" Conan said, following Ran as they made their way back home. They made it about half way when Ran suddenly stopped, noticing a bakery. She walked up to the display window, in which several highly detailed cakes were on display.

"Maybe that one?" Ran mumbled to herself as she looked at the cakes.

Conan also glanced around, noting that some cakes were rather ridiculous, both in appearance and price. As he was looking, a sound suddenly floated by, carried by the spring air. It was the tune to a song.

_This is-!_ Conan exclaimed, immediately recognizing it. -_Requiem for a Dream!_

Instantly, Conan could feel himself become dizzy, as if the world began spinning twenty times too fast. He threw a hand against the store window in an attempt to remain standing, but he could feel his legs grow weak. As he stood there propping himself against the window, he looked up into his own reflection in the storefront. While his haggard expression was a bit worrisome, what caught his attention the most were his eyes.

As Conan stared into his own reflection, bright violet eyes stared back.

_What-? _Conan began, but paused once he noticed something else. Aside from his own reflection, he could see the reflection of a car that had stopped at a red light. It wasn't just any car, though. It was a black Porsche 356A.

Upon seeing the car reflected in the store window, Conan instantly spun around, but perhaps a little too quickly. Everything suddenly started to spin; his head began to throb as well.

"Conan-kun?" Ran asked, noticing the boy was gripping his head. "Are you-?"

She didn't get to finish her sentence before Conan suddenly collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"Conan-kun?! Conan-kun?!" Ran called, shaking the boy.

* * *

"Tadaima, Papa," Naku said as he walked into the office.

"Naku!" Etanoru called, looking up from some papers, "I've been looking for you all day. Where have you been?"

"Eh? Papa said I could go outside and play, right? So I went to the park," Naku replied, moving towards the desk. "Is Papa angry at Naku?" the boy asked, a frown appearing on his face.

"No, I'm not mad. How can I be mad at you?" Etanoru replied, patting Naku on the head. Instantly, the child switched from a frown to a smile. "Next time, just tell me beforehand where you're going, alright?"

"You mean, I can go out again?" Naku asked, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Hai," Etanoru said, "So, what did you do at the park today?"

"Hm," Naku said, putting a finger to his chin as he recounted his day, "First, I chased some geese. Then I build a sandcastle in the playground. After that, I went on the swings for a bit."

"Sounds like you had fun," Etanoru said, a warm smile on his face.

"Un!" Naku nodded, "Oh, and I made a friend!"

"A friend?" Etanoru asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah! He's a wizard!"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

So, hope this chapter gave you a good laugh. I certainly had an amazingly fun time writing it xD. And I was going to end with Conan collapsing, but then I realized that's exactly how I end all my chapters, with someone collapsing. So, after realizing how cliche it became, I switched things around :) Hopefully, the Naku ending wasn't too abrupt.

Anyways, I'd love to hear how you thought my jokes were (props to anyone who got the Dr. Strangelove reference xD).

**So leave a review. Let me know if the jokes were:**

**1) Good**

**2) Meh**

**3) Wat.**

**4) Hold on, I need to go stab my eyes out. BRB.**

See you guys in the next chapter!


	36. Arc Four: Redgrace

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

Disclaimer 2: I've never read Magic Kaito, hence my portrayal of MK characters are probably OOC.

* * *

**Beika Hospital**

"Dr. Godo, how is he?" Ran asked, running up as soon as she saw the doctor exit the examination room.

"Ah, let's see, Ran-san, correct?" the doctor recalled.

"Hai," Ran replied, "Is Conan-kun okay?"

"He's perfectly fine," the doctor reassured, "The nurse is just doing some final checkups. She'll bring him out momentarily."

"Isn't that great, Ran?" Kogoro asked as he walked over and put a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Ran, however, didn't appear relieved by the doctor's words. "Are you sure?" she pressed.

"Hai," Dr. Godo replied casually, making as if to leave. He was instantly stopped by Ran though, who grabbed onto the sleeve of his white coat.

"Then why did he collapse like that?!" Ran shouted, catching everyone, including herself, by surprise. "Gomen," she quickly apologized, letting go of the doctor. She then took a step back, embarrassed by her outburst.

Upon seeing her expression, the doctor's own expression softened. "I understand that you're worried, Ran-san. But this sort of thing happens to children all the time," the doctor explained, "Especially on warm days like today, dehydration or fatigue can easily cause a child to faint. But it's nothing that can't be fixed with some rest." Dr. Godo tried to give his best reassuring smile, but he could tell that the girl was still not convinced.

"It's not just today, Dr. Godo," Ran said, balling her fist. She was frustrated at herself for not being able to convey her worries. "He's been different lately," she tried, wondering if she'd get through to the doctor this time.

"Different how?" the doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ran paused on the question for a moment, wondering how to best put her thoughts into words. "Well," she began, "recently, he always seems tired, like he has no energy at all. And sometimes, he'd have this vacant look on his face, like no one's there."

"Vacant look?" Dr. Godo asked.

"Yes, kind of like he was just staring off into space. I'd have to call him several times before he'd respond. And when I asked him what was wrong, he'd just shake his head and say he was fine," Ran explained.

"He could just be daydreaming. Children often-" Dr. Godo began but Ran cut him off.

"It's not that!" Ran exclaimed. "It's not that," she repeated in a softer voice. "He never used to do that, just stare off into space. And I don't think it's daydreaming, Dr. Godo. It's more like he's just not in there. I-I think," Ran paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I think he might be sick or something. Please, Dr. Godo, can you take another look?" she pleaded.

Hearing the sincerity in her voice, Dr. Godo felt like he simply couldn't refuse the worried teen. "Well, we can run an MRI and do some additional tests, if it will put you at ease, Ran-san," the doctor said.

"Thank you!" Ran exclaimed.

* * *

**Beika Hospital - MRI Scanner**

"Listen, Conan-kun. There's nothing to be afraid of, okay? You'll be inside this big machine, but it's perfectly safe, okay?" the nurse said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Hai!" Conan chirped as he laid on the bed of the MRI machine.

"That's a good boy. Now, I'll be right behind that glass panel, okay?" the nurse said, pointing to the far wall, "Your Onee-san and Otou-san are behind there too, okay?"

Conan nodded to show that he understood and with that, the nurse left the room.

_She sure liked to say okay_, Conan mused as he felt the bed underneath him move, sliding him into the machine. _Though what's weirder is that they're doing an MRI for a simple fainting. Is it because Ran said something to the doctor? _Conan wondered as he stared up at the white interior of the scanner. _Well, I guess anyone would worry after seeing someone pass out like that._

Conan's mind drifted back a few hours, to when he had collapsed in front of the bakery. He remembered that his head had suddenly started spinning. And there had been something wrong with his eyes- the color was wrong. For some reason, instead of blue, the irises had turned purple. _And that car._ The Porsche 356A. Gin's favorite car. _Was that just a coincidence?_

Before Conan could dwell on the matter any further, the intercom in the scanner interrupted his thoughts. "Conan-kun," the nurse said, "we're going to start the machine now, okay? Make sure you don't move too much, okay?"

"Hai!" Conan said as he heard the machine whirl into motion, slowly droning out his thoughts with its own rhythmic hum.

* * *

**Beika Hospital - MRI Observation Room**

"Here are the results from the MRI scan," Dr. Godo said as he hung several black and white images on the backlit wall.

"Did you find anything?" Ran asked nervously.

"As you can see, there doesn't appear to be any physical abnormalities," the doctor said, pointing to the images. "All his vitals check out as well."

"I see," Ran said, sounding not so much disappointed as apprehensive.

The doctor seemed to pick up on her tone. "Has there been any other things you've noticed, Ran-san?" he asked, trying his best to help.

"Like what?"

"For example, things Conan-kun used to like doing but has recently stopped," the doctor said.

Ran thought about it for a minute. "Well, I just noticed this but he's suddenly avoiding baths. I had to force him to take the last one. Is that what you mean?"

"Hmm," the doctor said, stroking his beard.

"What is it, Sensei?" Kogoro asked, noticing the doctor was deep in thought.

"Well, I said that there isn't anything physically wrong and I stand by that claim. But we can't rule out a psychological cause."

"Psychological?" Kogoro asked.

"Yes, something might be bothering him mentally," Dr. Godo suggested, trying to offer some kind of explanation that would alleviate Ran's worries.

"Really? Do you really think that's the cause?" Ran asked, instantly pouncing on the lifeline offered her.

"It's possible," Dr. Godo carefully said as he pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. "I know a very good psychologist that I can refer you to. Let's see-" Dr. Godo flipped through several pages before finding the one he was looking for. "-Ah, here it is. Dr. Redgrace."

"Redgrace? Is he a foreigner?" Kogoro asked.

"As I recall, he was born in America but he's Japanese," the doctor replied as he punched a number into his phone. There was a pause before the line connected. "Ah, hello? Dr. Redgrace? Yes, this is Godo-san. Hai, it has been a while. Ah, I was calling to see if you had any time in your schedule? I was hoping to refer a patient to you. It's a child. Edogawa Conan. Seven years old. I see. I see. Well, in that case, I'll ask them. Give me a moment." Dr. Godo put down his phone as he turned to Ran and Kogoro.

"What is it?" Ran asked.

"Dr. Redgrace said he can do an appointment, but it'd have to be today. He's leaving the country on vacation tomorrow," Dr. Godo explained.

"Eh?! But it's already nearly five in the evening," Kogoro said as he checked his watch.

"Dr. Redgrace said he was willing to make an afterhours appointment."

"And where's his office?" Kogoro asked.

"In Kanagawa," Dr. Godo replied.

"That's an hour away!" Kogoro exclaimed.

"Otou-san!" Ran complained, punching her father in the arm.

"Ah, I mean, tell him we can make it," Kogoro said, instantly changing his tune.

"Okay then," Dr. Godo said, picking up the phone again. "Dr. Redgrace, are you still there? Yes. They said they'll be there. Around seven. Alright, thank you so much."

* * *

**Ekoda Hospital**

Not wanting to pay for an expensive overnight room at the hospital, Kaito managed to secure a release after just a few hours stay. Apparently, doing cartwheels in the hall was enough to demonstrate good health. That or the hospital didn't want to put up with his antics any further. Either way, by seven in the evening, Kaito was walking along with Jii, heading back home. He didn't get more than three steps from the hospital though, before his phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" Kaito said, picking up.

"Kai-chan?!" a voice yelled. It was his mother.

"Kaa-san?" Kaito replied in surprise, wondering why his mother was calling from…well wherever she was.

"Kai-chan! Are you okay? I heard you were injured!"

"I'm fine, Kaa-san," Kaito reassured, wishing his mother would stop yelling into the speaker, "I'm walking home from the hospital with Jii-chan right now."

"Eh?! You were in the hospital?! What happened?!"

"It was nothing serious. Honest."

"Kai-chan, if you don't tell me the truth, I'll be forced to come back to Japan to check it out for myself."

"Geh!" Kaito exclaimed, just the thought of his mother returning to Japan to dote on him sending shivers down his spine. "Ah, like I was saying, I got shot by a sniper but the bullet was safely removed. Then afterwards, I developed a fever and was sweating a lot. My chest kind of hurt too. So Jii-chan took me to the hospital. But I've been released already."

"Kai-chan, those symptoms-"

"What about them?"

"Fever. Sweat. Chest pain. Could it be that my little Kaito is lovesick?" his mother asked.

"Ha?! Did you miss the part where I said I was shot?!" Kaito yelled into the phone.

"Ah, my Kai-chan is becoming a man!"

"Don't ignore me!"

"No need to get mad, Kai-chan. I suppose getting shot could be part of the explanation."

"It's the entire explanation!" Kaito shouted, at his wit's end.

"Well, whatever the explanation, I'm glad you're safe, Kai-chan," his mother said, causing Kaito to pause in surprise.

"Kaa-san-" Kaito mumbled.

"Stay safe, alright, Kai-chan? And be sure to introduce me to the lucky girl next time I'm around in Japan. Wink, wink."

Kaito sighed, wondering why he thought his mother could hold a serious conversation. "Like I said, you're being delusional! And don't come back!" he yelled, annoyed.

"That's so mean, Kai-chan. I want to meet the girl who has my little Kai-chan all flustered and sweaty."

"That sounds so perverted! I'm hanging up!" Kaito yelled, ending the call and putting his phone away. "Geez, what's wrong with her?" he mumbled.

"Was that Chikage-san?" Jii asked.

"No, it was some crazy lunatic," Kaito replied.

"You know, she's just worrying about you in her own way," Jii said.

Kaito looked over at Jii for a moment before turning his gaze up at the sky. "Of course I know," Kaito mumbled, a faint smile creeping onto his face.

* * *

**Kanagawa Prefecture**

"Oh, you must be Mouri-san," a man said, greeting them as Conan, Ran, and Kogoro entered the building. "And this lovely young lady must be Ran-san. And of course, the guest of honor, Conan-kun."

"Domo," Kogoro greeted, shaking the man's hand, "And you are?"

"Dr. Redgrace," the man introduced.

"You're the psychologist?" Kogoro asked. The man nodded. "Eh, don't you usually have secretaries for this part?"

"Ah, it's already afterhours, so I sent them home," Dr. Redgrace explained.

"Sorry for intruding so late at night," Ran apologized, bowing her head.

"No, it's perfectly fine. I wanted to help," Dr. Redgrace quickly said. Then kneeling down to Conan's eyelevel, he gave the boy a pat on the head and said, "How are you feeling today, Conan-kun?"

Instead of replying, however, Conan reached out both hands and grabbed onto the psychologist's cheeks, stretching the man's face into a smile.

"Kora! What the hell are you doing?!" Kogoro yelled, smacking the boy over the head.

"Ittai," Conan remarked, rubbing his head.

"Maa, maa, Mouri-san, it's okay," Dr. Redgrace said, rubbing his face. "Kids just like to have fun, right?" he said with a smile. "Ne, Conan-kun?"

"Uh, un," Conan said with a nod of his head. _Well, at least it's not KID in disguise,_ Conan thought, recalling the last time he visited a psychologist.

"Now then, shall we take a stroll to the interview room?" Dr. Redgrace asked as he stood back up, leading the way down the hall.

As they walked along, Conan looked around and noticed that the walls were littered with plaques and commemorations. "Wow, you sure have a lot of awards, Ojisan," Conan commented.

"Ah, it's nothing," Dr. Redgrace replied bashfully.

"You even went to school at U. Penn," Conan said, stopping at one of the diplomas.

"That's right, for my bachelor's degree," Dr. Redgrace elaborated.

"U. Penn?" Ran asked, also stopping to look at the diploma.

"University of Pennsylvania. It's a really famous school in America," Conan explained.

"Oh, you sure do know a lot, Conan-kun," Dr. Redgrace said.

"They were talking about it on television," was Conan's instant reply.

"I see," Dr. Redgrace said as they walked to the end of the hall, "Well, here we are."

Dr. Redgrace pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the door. The four of them then made their way into the room.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Ran said, noticing the modern furniture and paintings on the wall. "I especially like the one with the angel," she said, pointing to one of the paintings.

"Thank you. I painted them all myself."

"Really? You must be incredibly talented," Ran said, "And this room is a bit different than I imagined."

"How so?" Dr. Redgrace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was expecting a dimly-lit, creepy room with a lounge chair," Ran admitted, "But this is more like a luxury hotel."

"Ah, I don't know about the dimly-lit and creepy part, but there is a lounge chair over there," Dr. Redgrace said, "Anyways, how about we take a seat first. Please, feel free to sit anywhere."

Once they were seated, Dr. Redgrace continued. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

"He's been-" Ran began but Dr. Redgrace put up a hand to stop her.

"Ah, I'd like to hear from Conan-kun," Dr. Redgrace said, surprising everyone in the room.

_Eh? Me?_ Conan thought as he was suddenly put under the spotlight. He took a quick glance over at Ran. What was he supposed to say? He didn't want to worry her unnecessarily. "Eto, sono," Conan hesitated.

"It's okay, Conan-kun. Just tell me what you're feeling. How about we start with this afternoon. I heard you fainted?" Dr. Redgrace prompted.

Conan glanced over at Ran again before turning back to the doctor and giving him a nod. "I was walking with Ran-neechan and we were looking at cakes in the bakery," Conan began.

"What kind of cakes?" Dr. Redgrace asked, clearly trying to lead the conversation.

_Ones for my birthday, _Conan thought, giving Ran a glance. Obviously, he couldn't say that though. "Um, big ones," Conan said instead, gesturing with his arms. Dr. Redgrace laughed.

"Go on. Then what happened?"

"Then-" Conan paused, again wondering how much detail he should go into. He looked over at Ran, trying to gauge how much she already knew. "Then-" Conan said, but this time, he was stopped by Dr. Redgrace.

"I'm sorry, Conan-kun, one moment," Dr. Redgrace said. Then turning to Ran and Kogoro, he said, "Can you two please observe this session from behind that glass pane?"

"Eh?!" Ran exclaimed, wondering why the psychologist was suddenly requesting for them to leave.

"Why?" Kogoro asked, thinking along the same lines.

"I think your presence might be related to whatever is bothering Conan-kun," Dr. Redgrace said.

"Wait, just what are you suggesting?" Kogoro said, suddenly standing up.

"Please calm down, Mouri-san," Dr. Redgrace said. "In the last couple of minutes, Conan-kun has been constantly glancing your direction every time I've asked him a question. Wouldn't that naturally suggest that there's something he doesn't want to share while you two are here?"

"Is that true, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, a mix of surprise and hurt on her face.

_The doctor's pretty sharp_, Conan thought before slowly nodding his head.

"I see," Ran said, lowering her head, "Let's wait outside then, Otou-san."

"You can wait behind the observational glass. You'll be able to see what's happening but you won't be able to hear anything," Dr. Redgrace explained, though for some reason, Conan felt the explanation was directed more towards him than Ran and Kogoro.

Ran nodded and silently pulled her father out the room. Dr. Redgrace waited until the door closed before resuming.

"Sorry about the interruption, Conan-kun. Now that it's just the two of us, shall we continue? Like I explained, Ran-san and Mouri-san will be behind that glass. They'll be able to see you but they can't hear anything we say. So whatever you tell me will be just between us, understand?"

Conan nodded his head, though he was still unsure if he actually had anything to say to the psychologist. Even if they were alone, even if the information would be kept confidential, just how much could Conan actually reveal about himself? How much could Conan let the psychologist know about what was really troubling him? Could he tell the man about his nightmares? About his aquaphobia? About the song? About the shifting colors in his irises? Could he tell the man any of that? And then, of course, there was the matter of the ginormous elephant in the room, that is, the fact that he was actually a high schooler trapped inside the body of a seven year old. What could he tell the psychologist, without giving away his secret?

"Conan-kun, you seem deep in thought about something," Dr. Redgrace said, pulling Conan back to reality.

"Ah, I-" Conan began, unsure what he wanted say. Dr. Redgrace just gave him a smile.

"You can leave the rest to us, Conan-kun" he said, staring Conan in the eyes.

_Leave the rest to us? What does he mean by that? And who's us? _Conan wondered, confused by the psychologist's sudden statement. But before he could come up with an answer, Dr. Redgrace continued.

"So tell me, Conan-kun, what's been bothering you?" the man asked. However, when he realized that Conan wasn't going to answer, he just sighed and said, "How about this, I'll put out some theories and you can tell me if I'm right. Does that sound like something you can do?" Though Conan didn't agree to it, the psychologist began guessing anyways. "Let's see, are you having nightmares?" he asked, getting it right on the first try.

_Was that just a lucky guess? _Conan wondered, but then shook his head. _No, he's been really observant the entire time_._ He's good at his job._ _Maybe I can trust him a little_...

"Yes," Conan said with a small nod of his head. Dr. Redgrace looked relieved that they were finally making progress.

"What kind of nightmares?" he asked.

_How much should I tell him?_ Conan wondered again, pausing before answering. Then deciding to use the simplest terms possible, he said, "Torture," though Conan regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. After all, was "torture" really a word a seven year old would know? Still, given that he had already said as much, Conan figured he'd might as well elaborate, "There's someone being tortured."

"Yourself?" Dr. Redgrace asked, seemingly able to hit all the key questions.

"I don't know," Conan said, not completely lying. Though he suspected it was a projection of himself, there was really no evidence to support such a claim.

"What else can you tell me about the dream?" the psychologist pressed.

Conan shrugged a little. "I'm not sure. It's all fuzzy and I can't remember it very well," Conan said, this time actually lying. Though he could remember most of the dream perfectly well, as if it were etched into his mind, he wasn't confident that he wanted to reveal so much to a complete stranger.

"I see," the psychologist said, scratching his head. "Well, there's something I can do to help you remember, a technique that relies on hypnosis."

"Hypnosis?"

"Yes. Basically, I can put you into a hypnotic state which will allow you to access your subconscious while still maintaining consciousness," Dr. Redgrace explained.

"I see," Conan mumbled, but then paused as a sudden realization came to him. He hadn't noticed it until now, but wasn't the psychologist explaining things to him in rather complex terms? After all, who would expect a seven year old to understand what "access subconscious" means? _It's almost as if he's treating me like an adult_, Conan realized, _But why?_ Had he inadvertently given away his secret or something? _No, that's not it…_

"Conan-kun," Dr. Redgrace said, calling the boy's attention back to the matter at hand, "Are you willing to try it?"

_Am I…willing to try it?_ Conan repeated in his mind, his eyes opening wide in surprise. Conan could feel his brain running at light speed, trying to put the pieces together.

His thoughts were again interrupted, however, when Dr. Redgrace suddenly spoke. "Don't have that kind of face, Conan-kun."

"Eh?" Conan said, looking up at the psychologist.

"You looked like someone who'd just seen a ghost," Dr. Redgrace joked, "Don't worry, it won't hurt."

With the psychologists last words, a light bulb finally went off in Conan's head. _Sou ka! Sou iu koto! _Conan thought, understanding the situation. He could feel himself smirk inside. "Hai," Conan said, giving the psychologist a nod, "I'll try it then."

"Alright, come over here to the lounge chair and sit down," Dr. Redgrace directed, "Now, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Forget about your surroundings. Focus only on the sound of my voice. As I count backwards from five, you'll find yourself slowly falling asleep. Are you ready? Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

* * *

**? ? ? ? ?**

_"Conan-kun. Conan-kun. This is Dr. Redgrace. Can you hear me?"_

"Hai," Conan replied, searching for the source of the voice; it seemed to be coming out of thin air.

_"Good," _Dr. Redgrace continued, _"First thing's first. Can you describe to me what you see?"_

"What I see?" Conan repeated, taking a look around. "A lot of doors," he replied, staring down a hallway that appeared to extend ad infinitum.

_"Can you tell where the doors lead?"_

"Eto," Conan said, moving towards the closest door to get a better look. "No," he answer, "They all look pretty identical and nondescript."

_"I see. I want you to try something. Close your eyes, concentrate on the doors and take a deep breath,_" Dr. Redgrace suggested.

"Huh? What's that going to do?" Conan wondered.

_"Just trust me."_

"Okay," Conan said, closing his eyes as he focused his mind on the door. Then, as instructed, he took a deep breath before opening them again. To his surprise, a small white tag appeared on the door.

"It says 'Happiness'," Conan said, reading off the label. "What should I do now, Dr. Redgrace?"

_"Try going inside,"_ was the reply.

"Wakata," Conan said, putting a hand on the knob of the door. He felt a brief wave of anticipation as he turned his hand and pushed the door open, taking a step inside. "This is-!" Conan began, suddenly speechless. Somehow, he had ended up on a grassy field, at the base of a small hill. At the peak of the hill stood a tall oak tree, under which were stacks of books. As Conan approached, he realized they were all books on Holmes. Bending over, Conan picked one up and flipped it open, letting his eyes follow along the familiar words. As Conan became lost in the story, a cool breeze blew, rustling his hair as it passed by.

"_Conan-kun?_" Dr. Redgrace suddenly called, breaking the boy out of his trance.

"Ah, gomen," Conan said, returning the book to its stack, "Where is this, Dr. Redgrace?"

_"If I had to guess, I'd say it is where the happiness in your mind resides- your happy place, so to speak."_

"I see," Conan said, looking around. It was true that he felt at peace here; his mind told him to stay forever. However, Conan knew that that would be an impossibility. After all, there was a reason he was there in the first place.

_"Shall we take a look at a different door?"_ Dr. Redgrace suggested, echoing Conan's own thoughts.

"Hai," Conan said, leaving his "happy place" behind and returning to the hallway.

And just like that, Dr. Redgrace led Conan through a multitude of doors, ones which contained more emotions, like anticipation and disappointment, and others which contained raw memories, like what he ate for breakfast the day before. There were also doors which contained hints to his actual identity and Conan was sure to avoid those. Conan also avoided doors which he simply did not want to share with the doctor, or his conscious self, most notably, the door labeled _Sexual Desires_.

As Conan checked out the doors one by one, he eventually reached a door labeled, "Emergence." Thinking it to be more of the same, Conan reached a hand out and put it on the doorknob, about to enter. Instantly though, he realized something was different.

_"What's wrong, Conan-kun?_" Dr. Redgrace asked, noticing his hesitation.

"This door, there's something weird about it," Conan replied.

_"Do you know what's inside?"_

"No, I just have a bad feeling," Conan admitted.

_"It might be the root of your nightmares."_

_Emergence, huh? _Conan wondered. The word didn't ring any bells though. "I'm going in," Conan said, turning the handle of the door.

_"Be careful."_

As Conan stepped inside, he was instantly transported to an office building of some sort. Glancing around, he noticed that he was standing in the lobby of the ground floor. Ahead was a reception desk; however, there was no secretary. Behind the desk on either side was an elevator.

_"What do you see, Conan-kun?" _Dr. Redgrace asked.

"It's an office building," Conan relayed, walking past the desk towards the elevators. He pushed the up button, given it was the only one present, and waiting for the elevator to arrive. Once the doors opened, Conan took a step inside. The doors closed quickly behind him.

Conan glanced around the interior of the elevator, however, it wasn't much different than what one might expect. Well, except for the fact that there was only one choice for which floor to go to.

"Thirty-six," Conan said as he pushed the button. The elevator doors closed and the car made its way slowly up to the thirty-sixth floor, emitting a ding sound once it had arrived. Conan stepped out of elevator and realized he was in another hallway. This time, however, there were only two doors, one of the right, one of the left. While he was deciding which one to take first, a sudden scream from the left door made the choice easy. Conan rushed over and barged through the entrance, finding himself in a dimly lit room.

_"What is it, Conan-kun? Tell me what's happening."_

"I heard screaming," Conan replied, scanning around. His eyes settled on a glass pane in front of him. Cautiously, Conan approached and peered into the glass, finding that there was another room beyond. "This was part of my dream!" Conan exclaimed when he recognized the operating table that lied on the opposite side of the glass. And just like in his dream, on the table was a boy, strapped down by the arms and legs. Next to him was a surgeon, dressed completely in black. And if memory served, Conan knew what would happen next.

"Matte!" Conan shouted, looking for the door that would get him into the room. His eyes spotted one in the far corner and instantly, Conan rushed towards it. Just as he was about to open the door, however, a hand grabbed him from behind.

"Oto, now how did you get here?" the voice asked, putting Conan into a choke hold.

"Hanase! Hanase!" Conan shouted, telling the man to let him go. Conan struggled a bit before suddenly twisting his body, hoping to throw a surprise punch at his captor. However, it was Conan who ended up surprised as when he turned around, he was faced with a faceless assailant. It wasn't that the man was wear a mask. Rather, his face was just blank- no eyes, no mouth, nothing.

"Now, what shall we do with you?" the man asked, the sound seemingly just emitting from his head. While using one hand to keep hold of Conan, the man used his other to reached into his pocket and pull out a syringe. "Tell me, do you know what the symptoms of sodium thiopental injection are?"

"Hanase!" Conan shouted, staring nervously at the needle. Of course he knew what sodium thiopental did, and none of it was pleasant.

"Headache. Nausea. Apnea. Muscle seizure. Loss of Consciousness. Death," the man recounted, laughing menacingly. "Now, shall we?" he asked, bringing the needle to Conan's neck.

"Hanase!" Conan yelled, his heart beating a bit faster. The man didn't pause though and the needle drew closer.

"Hanase!"

* * *

**Dr. Redgrace's Office**

"Conan-kun? Conan-kun?" Dr. Redgrace shouted, grabbing Conan by the shoulders. He could feel the boy shaking underneath his grasp, yelling "Hanase!" over and over. "Conan-kun?" Dr. Redgrace called again, trying to calm the boy down.

Just then, Ran burst into the room. "Conan-kun?!" she shouted, running over, "What's happening to him, Dr. Redgrace?!"

Dr. Redgrace ignored emotional teen, however, and instead focused on the matter at hand. "Conan-kun, I'm going to count down from five. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Wake up!"

And as if by magic, Conan suddenly awoke, bolting up into a sitting position. His movement took the psychologist by surprise, causing the two of them to bump heads, knocking the man back.

"Ittai," Dr. Redgrace said, rubbing his head.

"Ah, sorry," Conan apologized, noticing that Ran had entered the room. He could see the worried look across her face.

"It's okay," Dr. Redgrace said, giving the boy a smile, "How are you feeling, Conan-kun?"

"I'm fine," Conan replied, obviously trying to avoid giving Ran more to worry about.

"I see," Dr. Redgrace said.

"How can you say that so calmly?!" Ran exclaimed, "He's obviously not fine! He was trembling just a second ago!"

"Ran-neechan," Conan mumbled, realizing that his plan had backfired.

"Ran-san, please, just give me a few more minutes," Dr. Redgrace interrupted, a pleading look on his face. He knew how the girl must be feeling, but there was also something important that he had to discuss with Conan in private.

Noticing the psychologist's expression, Ran relented. "Fine. Conan-kun, I'll be right out there, okay?"

Conan nodded as he watched Ran leave.

"Conan-kun," Dr. Redgrace asked, pulling the boy's attention away from the door. "At the end, what happened?"

"It was like I was inside my dream. I was trying to stop it when someone grabbed me from behind," Conan explained.

"Did you recognized who it was?"

Conan shook his head. "He didn't have a face. Same with the surgeon," Conan mumbled.

"I see," Dr. Redgrace said, suddenly deep in thought. Then turning to Conan, he said, "Let me ask you this. Have you ever been hypnotized before?"

"Huh?" Conan remarked, wondering why the psychologist was bringing up the topic.

"What you just described, that's a very advanced form of mental defense, pioneered by the American CIA in the late 70's."

_I was...hypnotized? _Conan wondered, trying to process the new information. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Dr. Redgrace sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to recall the details. "In the 1970's, the CIA ran a series of experiments to try and create sleeper agents, basically spies, that would infiltrate other countries and carry out specific tasks. However, to prevent anyone from tracking the agents back to the CIA, the agents would undergo extensive hypnosis. In particular, hypnosis that would boost mental defense, in the cases that the agents would be captured and questioned. One defense mechanism was to literally lock down the memories with mental guards, like the man who you captured you. Another was to render faces unreadable, so that no CIA officials would be implicated. Even if questioned, the sleeper agents would legitimately not know who was involved in their operation."

"And you think that someone used that kind of hypnosis on me?" Conan asked.

Dr. Redgrace shrugged. "I don't know. The CIA never managed to make any successful sleeper agents. The idea was good in theory but the hypnosis failed with every test subject. The program eventually fell through."

"I see," Conan said as the two of them fell into silence. Dr. Redgrace was the one to speak first.

"Those nightmares, you said you didn't remember them really clearly, right?" Dr. Redgrace asked, "You were lying, weren't you?"

Conan looked surprised at that.

"Truth be told, I've had _those_ kind of nightmares before. You never forget," Dr. Redgrace said, a rather sad look on his face. He quickly changed it into a smile though. "Your nightmares, can you tell them to me in a bit more detail?" he asked.

* * *

**Dr. Redgrace's Office**

Ran mobbed the psychologist as soon as he stepped out. "Dr. Redgrace, do you know what's wrong?" Ran asked, not even giving the man room to breath.

Dr. Redgrace took it in stride, however. "I believe it's related to stress," he replied, giving Conan a look.

Conan nodded, noting that the psychologist was responding according to plan.

"Stress?" Kogoro asked, hoping the psychologist would elaborate on the diagnosis. After all, a famed psychologist should have more than just "stress" after spending two hours with a patient.

"Yes, I believe Conan-kun's current lifestyle has proved quite stressful for a seven year old. Hence, the symptoms Ran-san has so keenly observed."

Ran blushed at that. "What should we do, then, Dr. Redgrace?" she asked.

"I think time away from Tokyo might do Conan-kun some good," Dr. Redgrace explained. "A change in scenery will help lower his stress levels." Then turning to Conan-kun, he asked, "How does that sound?"

"Un!" Conan nodded, glad that everything was working as he and Dr. Redgrace had planned.

"By the way," the psychologist said, turning to Ran and Kogoro, "I hear Ekoda is very nice this time of year."

* * *

**? ? ? ? ? ?**

"Hello?"

"Hi, Paul. It's me."

"Ah! Redgrace! You're late. I was expecting your call hours ago."

"Sorry. I had an after hours patient."

"Eh? That's awfully uncharacteristic of you. What made you take the case? Was it an acquaintance of yours?"

"Perhaps in another lifetime."

"Hai? There you go saying cryptic statements again! You're just trying to sound cooler than me, aren't you?"

"Haha. Sorry, that wasn't my intention."

"Well, at any rate, HQ has a new job for you."

"Aren't I supposed to be on vacation?"

"France is a lovely place for a vacation."

"Okay, I get it. What's the job."

"Saguru Hakuba. Have you heard of him?"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

I don't know why, but these chapters always end up being so long...

Anyways, the Black Organization's goal is starting to unravel :)

I also have two questions for you guys this time:

**1. I know I did this at the start of the story but do you guys like having the location tags at the start of each section? Or do you think they're just unnecessary?**

**2. Who is Dr. Redgrace? And what does he know about Conan? This should be a semi-easy question as I've left a boatload of hints throughout the chapter. And if you can't figured it out, I'll tell you next chapter, since it's kind of important :)**

Anyways, please answer the two questions if you can, either in review or PM.

See you guys in the next chapter!


	37. Arc Four: To Be Human

A/N: Since people seem to find the settings tags helpful, I'll continue using them. Thanks for the feedback. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**? ? ? ? ? ? **

_"Hello, Wolf-kun. Have you given some thought to my offer?"_

_"I have."_

_"And?"_

_"And I cannot accept it."_

_"I see. It would be a lie to say I am not disappointed. May I ask why?"_

_"I don't believe your world exists. No, perhaps it's more that it can't exist."_

_"Is that so? Tell me Wolf-kun, what do you think is the meaning of life?"_

_"What's with this all of a sudden?"_

_"Humor me."_

_"Fine. I'd say it's to perpetuate one's own existence."_

_"In other words, survival."_

_"Yes."_

_"But even the lowly clam can survive."_

_"Are we not animals like the clam?"_

_"Touché. However, there is something that human's possess which the clam does not."_

_"That would be?"_

_"Greed. Ambition. Desire. Humans want things. It is as ingrained into us as being bipedal."_

_"My only desire is to survive."_

_"That is because you are still young. You have only learned how to survive, but not how to live. If you give me the chance, I will show you life beyond survival. And in exchange, if you find that you don't like it, I promise I will leave you alone. How does that sound?"_

_"What do I have to do?"_

_"Ignore the established order. Disregard others and take no heed from external influences. Grab hold of true freedom and give in to your intuitions."_

_"That's it?"_

_"That's it."_

* * *

**Kaito's House, Ekoda**

"Pick a card, any card," Kaito said, fanning out the deck on the table. "I'll even look away while you do it," he said, turning his head towards the window.

"Okay, mhm, hm, um, let's see, huh," Aoko mumbled as her hand moved back and forth. She was clearly unsure which one to take.

"Oi, are you still not done?" Kaito grumbled, turning back around, "Just pick one already."

"But, there's some trick to it, right?" Aoko protested, "I'm not going to fall for it this time!"

"Ha? Well, do whatever you want," Kaito said, a bored expression crossing his face. He leaned his head against his arm as he watched Aoko mull over which card to take. Finally, she decided to take one from the middle, picking it up and holding it tightly in her hand.

"What do I do now? Put it back in the deck?" Aoko asked after she had taken a glance at the card.

"Nah. Now the card will magically-" Kaito began with a snap of his fingers, "-explode in your hand." Just as he finished, the card in Aoko's hand vanished into a puff of smoke, surprising the girl and causing her to fall backwards off her chair.

"That was mean, Kaito!" Aoko exclaimed, jumping up off the ground, "You rigged all the cards in the deck, didn't you? That's why it didn't matter which one I picked, because they would all explode?"

"Nothing of the sort. You just happened to pick the exploding card. Here, take a look for yourself," Kaito said, handing the deck over to Aoko.

Aoko took the cards and flipped through them. Indeed, the rest all appeared normal and weren't about to explode anytime soon. "Wait, then how did you do it? How'd you know which card I would take?" Aoko asked. That's when she noticed Kaito looking off into the distance, a glazed expression across his face. "Kaito?"

"Huh?" Kaito asked, turning to look at Aoko.

"Is something wrong? You seem distracted," Aoko said, feeling there was something off. Normally, Kaito was overly enthusiastic about performing magic. Today, however, his tricks seemed to lack their usual flair. "Are your paintball wounds still bothering you?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Kaito replied, for a moment forgetting the lie he had told Aoko. When the girl had asked why he'd missed a day of school before, he had lied and said he needed to go to the hospital after a bruising game of paintball. Though it was highly implausible, Aoko had bought his story. Then again, Kaito wasn't sure he should be surprised. After all, she had yet to figure out he was Kaitou KID either.

"Well, make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?" Aoko instructed. Kaito nodded, glad she wasn't going to press the issue. That is, until Aoko decided to ask him another question, "By the way, how's your little brother doing?"

"Little brother?" Kaito repeated, confused.

"You know, the one in that picture you had," Aoko clarified.

_Is she talking about Tantei-kun?_ Kaito thought, his heart skipping a beat. Suddenly, he wished they were still talking about his "paintball" injuries. "I already told you, I don't have a little brother," he said, trying to end the conversation.

"But then, who was that in the picture?" Aoko continued.

"Uh, that was," Kaito paused, trying to think of a believable answer. _Childhood friend? No wait, Aoko would know all my childhood friends. Cousins? No, that's pratically the same as brothers. Some random little kid? But how would I explain having a picture of some random little kid? Uh-?_

Aoko spoke before Kaito had a chance to finish. "I understand now, Kaito! I understand!" Aoko exclaimed.

"Huh? You do?"

"Yes. The only reason you would deny knowing your little brother is-" Aoko began, grabbing Kaito by the shoulders, "-because he's an illegitimate child, right?"

"Hai?" Kaito said, dumbfounded. He wasn't sure how Aoko had reached such a conclusion.

"It's okay, Kaito. Even if no one else will acknowledge him, I won't let him fade into obscurity," Aoko announced.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Kaito exclaimed, pushing Aoko aside.

"Eh? He's not an illegitimate child?" Aoko asked, a perplexed look on her face, "Then is he adopted?"

"No," Kaito sighed.

"Then, are you adopted?"

"Come again?"

"Wait, I get it now, for real! The two of you used to live on Planet Vegeta but your home was destroyed by a giant monster. And just as the planet was about to be destroyed, you were shipped off on a space capsule to Earth. Your little brother, however, was lost in the vacuum of space. Or so you thought, until recently, when you found a picture of him. And now you're on a quest to be reunited. Right?"

"What the heck is that?!" Kaito exclaimed, "What am I, an alien now?! And don't just go ripping off Dragonball Z!"

"You mean I'm wrong?"

"Obviously! What do you think?!" Kaito sighed, "Anyways, you're supposed to be helping me prepare for the magic exposition next week."

"Oh, that's right."

"Don't just 'that's right' me! Why else did you-"

"By the way, did you hear-"

"Let me finish!" Kaito exclaimed.

"-Hakuba might be moving to France."

"Hakuba's moving to France?" Kaito repeated, trying to process the thought. It took a moment before it finally sunk in. "EHHHHHH?!"

* * *

**Haneda Airport**

"Attention all travelers, flight AF 283 from Haneda Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport will be boarding momentarily. Please prepare your passports and boarding passes before making your way to the gate. Again, flight 283 of Air France from Tokyo to Paris will be boarding momentarily. Please prepare your passports and boarding passes. Thank you."

"I guess that's me," Hakuba said to himself as he stood up. He looked around, double checking that everything was accounted for, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his passport and boarding pass. Then, with his carry-on in tow, Hakuba made his way towards the gate. He didn't get far though, when a man suddenly called out to him, tapping Hakuba on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, you dropped this," the man said, holding out a omamori, a homemade Japanese charm.

"Oh, thank you," Hakuba said, taking the charm and placing it back into his pocket.

"From someone special, eh?" the man asked, giving Hakuba a knowing wink.

"Ah, something like that," Hakuba replied. Then with a polite bow, he said, "Sorry, I have a plane to catch. Thank you again." And with that Hakuba made his way through the gate and onto the plane.

Once boarded, Hakuba glanced at his ticket to confirm his seat number: 3A. His benefactors had so kindly put him into first class, and a window seat at that.

"Well, I guess it's to be expected," Hakuba mumbled, finding his seat and plopping down once he had stowed away his bag into the overhead compartment. He then pulled out a magazine from the seat in front, flipped through a couple of pages, but upon finding it rather dull, decided to put it back. Sighing, and waiting for the plane to take off, Hakuba reached into his pocket and brought out the omamori again, holding it up as he stared mindless out the window. The omamori dangled in the air, the pale yellow cloth held up by a red string. On the cloth was sewn the following: May you find great success.

"Someone special, huh?" Hakuba mumbled, his mind recalling the charm's origins...

**_Agasa's House, after the murder at the Twilight Hotel_**

_"What are you working on?" Hakuba asked, peering over the girl's shoulder._

_"Biochemical synthesis," was the dry response he received._

_"Hm? That's some pretty advanced formulations," Hakuba noted._

_"I'm not actually a little kid, you know," Haibara snapped._

_"Ah, that's not what I meant. Those formulas, they're pretty complex, even for university professors. You must be really smart," Hakuba explained._

_Haibara felt herself blush at the compliment. "It's not like you saying that makes me happy," she mumbled._

_"I see," Hakuba said, noticing the blush. He decided to change the topic, "Are those formulas related to the men in black?"_

_At that, Haibara's eyes instantly narrowed. "So you do know about Them."_

_"I've managed to figure out a bit," Hakuba admitted._

_Haibara sighed, realizing that if Conan trusted the Brit, then she probably could too. "It's part of the antidote for Apoptoxin 4869."_

_"Apoptoxin 4869?" Hakuba asked._

_"It's the drug that shrunk me and Kudo-kun," Haibara explained._

_"So this antidote will return you two back to your original bodies then?"_

_"Yes. I've already devised several temporary antidotes which have managed to return Kudo-kun to his normal size. However, the effects always seem to wear off due to antibody interference."_

_"Hm," Hakuba said, taking a look at the computer. "What if you tried adding a hydroxyl group here?" he suggested, pointing to the screen._

_"Eh?" Haibara asked, taken by surprise._

_"If you make this area more polar, it'd increase the binding affinity, right?"_

_"I see, that could work," Haibara muttered to herself. Then turning to Hakuba, she said, "You're pretty good yourself."_

_"I took a couple of college level chemistry courses when I was in England," Hakuba said, giving Haibara a smile, "Now, let's see what else we can do about this part over here." __Haibara watched as Hakuba scrolled through the formulas, a look of concentration appearing on his face._

_"Is he...actually trying to help?" Haibara wondered silently, the thought causing her to look down at the ground and away from Hakuba. She could feel a sudden pang in her heart, as a mix of shame, confusion, and happiness overtook her, almost causing her to tear up. Why were all the people around her like this? Haibara wondered. Why were they all so willing to help complete and utter strangers? "The Shonen Tantei. Hakase. Kudo-kun. And now even Hakuba-san," she thought. Why were they all so selfless? Haibara couldn't help but compare it to her own cold, and much more analytic, nature. And the comparison made her feel icky inside. _

_Before Haibara could think about the topic anymore, Agasa suddenly interrupted. __"What are you two up to?" he asked, noting that Haibara and Hakuba were crowded around the computer._

_"We were just working on the formula for the Apoptoxin antidote," Haibara explained. She could feel her emotions settling down as her cool demeanor retook its proper place._

_"Eh? Hakuba-kun too?" Agasa asked, surprised._

_"Yes, Hakuba-san is surprising knowledgeable," Haibara said, with a tone such that Hakuba couldn't tell if he was being complimented or derided. Then turning towards the stairs, Haibara said, "I'm going to go change. Feel free to continuing working if you want, Hakuba-san." And with that, Haibara left Hakuba and Agasa alone together in the lab. _

_There was a brief awkward silence before Hakuba suddenly spoke. "__So, you're an inventor, Agasa-san?" Hakuba asked._

_"That's right!" Agasa replied, puffing out his chest (or perhaps it was his stomach) and laughing proudly._

_"In that case, can I see some of your inventions?" Hakuba asked, curious as to what Agasa had been working on._

_"Of course," Agasa replied, always happy to show off the products of his labor. He walked over to a nearby cabinet, pulling out a box-shaped objected, and placed it on the table. Hakuba came over to take a look. "__Here's an instant cooker that can heat food up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit in 0.01 milliseconds using the power of plutonium. I call it the Super GammaWave!" Agasa exclaimed. _

_Hakuba looked at the machine with a clearly doubtful expression. "Isn't plutonium radioactive?" he asked, pointing at the box. _

_"Well, yes," Agasa admitted, "Due to that, the Super GammaWave wasn't a big success."_

_"Wouldn't its lack of sales be more due to the fact that it's illegal to possess radioactive materials?" Hakuba asked._

_"And next up is the Super Floater," Agasa announced, clearly ignoring Hakuba's previous comment. From another cabinet, Agasa pulled out what looked like an ordinary pair of shoes. __"Try them on. They'll let you float above the ground, like a hovercraft."_

_"That sounds interesting," Hakuba said, putting the shoes on. After flipping a switch, Hakuba felt his body instantly rise above the ground, allowing him to float in mid-air. "I'm impressed-" Hakuba began._

_"Oh, I forgot to mention. Since it uses a lot of power, the device only works for a couple of seconds at a time," Agasa explain, just as the shoes ran out of power and Hakuba came crashing down to the ground. _

_"-Gah!" Hakuba exclaimed, rubbing his back in pain, "Doesn't that make this useless as well?!" Hakuba quickly took off the shoes and threw them back into the cabinet._

_"And lastly, my newest invention-" Agasa said, holding out a tray of freshly baked cookies._

_"Oh, these actually look pretty good," Hakuba said, grabbing one and taking a bite._

_"-Laxative cookies!" Agasa exclaimed, showing off the cookies proudly._

_"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Hakuba exclaimed, realizing that he had already swallowed. Instantly, he could feel his bowels begin to churn. "What are they, super laxatives?!" he asked, gripping his abdomen._

_"Super absorbent and fast acting, with an average action time of three seconds," Agasa boasted, holding out three fingers just to emphasize his point._

_"Ah, __where's the bathroom?!" Hakuba asked, ignoring the professor's useless information. He suddenly realized that he couldn't hold it in much longer._

_"Upstairs, first door on the left," Agasa said as he watched the teen rush up the stairs. "Maybe they're too strong?" Agasa wondered._

_As Hakuba rushed up to the second floor, he could feel his bowels crying out, seeking release. "Toilet, toilet, toilet," Hakuba mumbled, his eyes darting around for the door. "First one on the left, right?" he recalled, putting a hand on the doorknob. Then with one swift motion, Hakuba swung open the door and entered. However, what he found wasn't the toilet, but rather, a half-naked Haibara, in the midst of changing. "Oh, uh, sor-," Hakuba began, a bit dumbstruck at the situation. He didn't get to finish however, as Haibara turned just then and, upon seeing Hakuba staring, screamed. _

_"YIIIIAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

_"Ah, I didn't-" Hakuba tried to explain, hoping to calm the girl down. However, Haibara was in a frenzy already and beyond listening. _

_"Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" she yelled, growing deep red. _

_"Like I said, this is just a misund-" Hakuba tried again before a giant pan came flying at him, smacking him right in the face._

* * *

_"That bruising looks pretty serious," Agasa said._

_"Hmph. It's what a pervert deserves," Haibara retorted, folding her arms across her chest._

_"Like I said, you're misunderstanding," Hakuba replied as he a stuck another Band-Aid to his face. The pan had hit pretty hard, along with the other random things Haibara had decided to throw his way. "I was looking for the bathroom. And Agasa-san said it was upstairs. I didn't know he meant the first floor, as in upstairs relative to the basement. I thought he meant upstairs as in the second floor."_

_"So are you saying it's my fault? You're the one-" Haibara began, but abruptly stopped when she noticed something coming out from the basement stairwell. "Hakase, what is that?" she asked, pointing to the expanding green substance._

_"That's not good," Agasa managed, just as the green substance exploded out the stairwell, covering the first floor in green slime._

_"Hakase," Haibara said, trying to contain her annoyance. She lifted a hand to wipe the green slime out of her eyes and off her face. "What happened?"_

_"Ah, I was __trying to fix the green goo gun, seeing how it jammed too easily the last time we used it."_

_"It doesn't look fixed at all," Hakuba said. _

_"Ahahaha," Agasa laughed, scratching his now slime covered hair. _

_"Geez," Haibara sighed._

* * *

_"So, you can stay in here," Haibara said, opening the door._

_"This looks like a supply closet."_

_"Oh, that's very observant of you."_

_"You mean it's actually a supply closet?!" Hakuba exclaimed, face-palming._

_"What else can we do? You were supposed to sleep on the couch downstairs but it's covered in slime. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to clean it up."_

_"Um, isn't there a room I can sleep in? Like maybe on the floor of Agasa-san's room?" Hakuba asked._

_"His room is too small. There's barely any floor space."_

_"I see," Hakuba said, still holding his pillow, "Maybe I can just sleep in the hall then."_

_"There'll be a draft. You'll catch a cold," Haibara pointed out._

_"That's true," Hakuba said, scratching his head, "And I can't sleep in the bathroom. This is turning out to be quite the dilemma."_

_Haibara took a look at the despairing teen and sighed. "You can stay in my room for tonight."_

_"Eh?!"_

* * *

_"Alright, here's the deal," Haibara said, "If you try anything weird, I'm calling the police."_

_"I already told you, Haibara-san, I'm not interested in-"_

_"What was that?" Haibara interrupted, clearly ticked. _

_"Thank you for letting me stay here," Hakuba corrected._

_"Whatever," Haibara said, allowing herself to lie down, "Just stay down there."_

_"Hai," Hakuba replied, also lying down, "By the way, why is your room bigger than the professor's?"_

_"Because I'm a girl, of course."_

_"Is that a reason?" Hakuba thought silently. "__Ah, I see. Good night then," he said._

_"Good night," Haibara replied as she let her eyes roam to the ceiling. As Haibara stared blankly at the space above, her mind wandered again to the events earlier, to the notion of selflessness. Lately, she realized that she was surrounded with selfless people- Agasa, Conan, and even Hakuba. But that only made her wonder. Was it because they were raised that way? Or did it come from some inherent disposition? And did they not realize that it was silly to help complete strangers? Especially when there was little chance for the favor to be returned? __As Haibara mulled over her questions, she fell back to the only type of analysis she knew: scientific analysis._

_Altruism, the act of helping others without expectation of recompense. But such a thing went against survival of the fittest. So then why? Why did some of the smartest people she knew act out of such altruistic motives? Or perhaps it was normal to be altruistic? Perhaps her time spent working with the Black Organization had corrupted her sense of normality? Had made her cold and calculating? _

_"Haibara, can I ask you something?" Hakuba suddenly said, startling Haibara out of her thoughts._

_"What?" Haibara asked, turning on her bed to face the detective. _

_"Those men in black, they're still after you, right?" Hakuba asked. _

_"Yes."_

_"Can you tell me about them then?"_

_"Why do you want to know?"_

_"I want to help you investigate them," Hakuba said, likewise turning to face Haibara._

_"What? What's with this all of a sudden?"_

_"I just think you might need my help, that's all."_

_"I don't need your help and you don't know anything about me," Haibara snapped._

_There was a silence before Hakuba replied. "You're wrong about that. It's true there's a lot I don't know about you, Haibara-san. But I do know something. That night on the rooftop of the Beika Museum, when you thought you were talking with Gin, I could tell you were afraid. You were afraid and yet you were willing to be there anyways, because you were willing to be afraid so that your friends wouldn't have to be. You confronted Gin to protect your friends, right? And even when you were losing consciousness, you told me to run. Even to someone you didn't know, you showed concern."_

_"That's not it! I was just-"_

_"Haibara-san, you keep putting on a brave face, but I can tell that you're scared inside. Because you're independent and strong-willed, you hide your fear and try to do everything by yourself," Hakuba said, "Please, won't you let me help you?"_

_"Why? Why would you go so far to help a complete stranger?!" Haibara asked, finally giving voice to what she had been thinking the entire time._

_"That's what it means to be human," Hakuba replied, so simply, so confidently, that Haibara's eyes opened wide in surprise. "To be human is to help others in need. After all, no one can survive alone," Hakuba said, "And besides, we're not really complete strangers, right?"_

_"I-" Haibara stuttered, unsure what to say. _

_"Also, I haven't told anyone this yet, but I'm thinking of working for an intelligence agency. I have an interview soon and if I get the position, I figured I could use the resources to investigate into the organization that's after you," Hakuba said. _

_There was another pause before Haibara replied. "Baka. You. Hakase. Kudo-kun. You're all bakas," Haibara mumbled, turning her back to the Brit._

_"I'm sorry if I was imposing. I didn't mean-" Hakuba began._

_"Come up," Haibara said, cutting him off._

_"What?"_

_"You'll get back-pain sleeping on the ground like that without a futon, right? You can come sleep on my bed. It's more than big enough for two people," Haibara explained._

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Hurry up, you idiot, before I change my mind," Haibara said. _

_Hakuba nodded, moving his pillow next to Haibara's and lying down. _

_Haibara sighed and shut her eyes, for once sensing that her large bed was not so empty. __"Goodnight, Hakuba-kun," she mumbled before drifting off to sleep._

_"Goodnight, Ai-chan."_

* * *

_It was about six in the morning when Hakuba woke up, feeling that his hand was resting on something soft. Through sleepy eyes, he looked over and noticed that it was none other than Haibara's chest. Given that Haibara was still in her child body, her chest also happened to be flat as a board. However, that was not the main issue as, unfortunately for Hakuba, Haibara also happened to awaken at that very moment, and upon noticing where the teen's hand had found itself, proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs._

_"Pervert! You pervert! I hate you! Get out! Pervert!"_

_Hakuba had managed to find himself in yet another misunderstanding._

* * *

_"Thank you for letting me stay," Hakuba said, bowing slightly._

_"No, thank you for helping clean up the slime," Agasa replied, showing Hakuba to the door._

_Hakuba paused for a second as he looked around, before finally saying, "Well, I'll be off then."_

_"Alright, take care," Agasa said. _

_Just as Hakuba was about to leave, a voice called out to stop him. Hakuba turned and saw that it was Haibara. "Here," she said, handing him a omamori. "You have an interview soon, right?" Hakuba took the omamori and held it out in front of him._

_"May you find great success," he read off the charm. "Thanks, Ai-chan. I'll treasure it," Hakuba said, giving Haibara a smile._

_"Go die in a hole, Pervert," Haibara said, turning and storming off to the lab. _

_"That's pretty harsh," Agasa remarked._

_"Yeah," Hakuba said, looking down at the charm and smiling._

* * *

**Lyon, France**

"Dr. Redgrace, your three o'clock is here," the secretary announced over the speaker.

"Buzz him in," Dr. Redgrace replied, setting aside the news article he was reading. It had been about a recent breakthrough in human-machine systems by a certain William Neye, and while it had been an interesting read, there was work to be done now.

The door opened and in walked a British teenager. "Good afternoon," he greeted, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Hello," Dr. Redgrace replied, standing up and taking the hand. _Now where have I seen him before?_ the psychologist wondered as he invited the teen to take a seat. Once they were settled, the man continued. "So, Mr. Hakuba, you're here to interview for a job position with us, correct?"

"Yes," Hakuba nodded.

"In that case, allow me to introduce myself first. I am Dr. James Redgrace, the head psychologist here. I will be conducting your interview."

"I am in your care."

"Good to hear. Shall we begin then?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. First of all, can you describe yourself for me?" Dr. Redgrace asked, pen and paper ready to take notes.

"Yes. Saguru Hakuba. 17. Born August 29th, 1995. My father is Japanese. My mother is British. I am currently-"

"Ah, sorry to interrupt," Dr. Redgrace said, putting up a hand, "That's not what I meant by describing yourself."

"Sorry. Did you want me to discuss some cases I've solved?"

"Uh, that's not it either."

"Then I don't quite understand. What exactly are you asking?"

"Well, tell me what you like to do, what your hobbies are. I want to get to know you as a person," Dr. Redgrace explained.

Hakuba thought about it for a moment before replying, "I like taking care of my pet hawk."

"Oh, that's interesting. What's its name?"

"Watson."

"From Sherlock Holmes, I'm guessing."

"Yes," Hakuba confirmed.

"Anything else?"

"I enjoy playing billiards," Hakuba added.

"Competitively?"

"Sometimes. I made it to the top ten in the Junior Nationals competition."

"That's quite the achievement," Dr. Redgrace praised.

"Thank you."

"Okay then," Dr. Redgrace said with a smile, "I guess we'll move on to the questions you were probably expecting."

"That sounds fine by me," Hakuba replied politely.

"Let's see," Dr. Redgrace said, making as if he were thinking of an interview question. In truth though, he was looking at Hakuba, trying to remember where he had met the teen before. And then it suddenly hit him. _That's right. We worked a case together, _the man recalled, _back when I was still with the FBI, back before I burned my identity to plant a CIA agent named Mizunashi Rena into the Black Organization, back when I still went by the name, Akai Shuicihi_. _So, he's the kid from back then, huh? _The psychologist took one last glance at Hakuba before grinning. _If I recall, he was quite promising back then. _"Alright, let's begin with the first question-" _Let's see if you live up to expectations, Saguru Hakuba. _"-Tell me, why do you want to become an agent of INTERPOL?"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Hints that Dr. Redgrace was Akai Shuichi

Red in Japanese is Aka which is a pun on Akai  
Grace is a synonym of beauty, which in Japanese is Shu  
Dr. Redgrace treats Conan like an adult  
The following quotations are all from the Mizunashi Rena arc (Chapter 600ish):

"You can leave the rest to us." is Akai to Conan when Conan want to call Kogoro to help transport Rena out of the hospital  
"Are you willing to try it?" is actually a quotation from Conan to Akai about the plan to insert KIR back into the BO  
"Don't have that kind of face" Akai's trademark quotation.  
"You looked like someone who'd just seen a ghost," since everyone thought Akai was dead, killed by KIR  
"Perhaps in another lifetime." Same as the quotation above.

And as promised, here is the Hakuba x Shiho.

See you guys in the next chapter!


	38. Arc Four: Solutions

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**Campsite, Toyama Prefecture**

"Ran-neechan!" Conan called, tapping the girl on the shoulder. Ran, who until then had been staring at the campfire, upon hearing her name being called, suddenly flinched, swerving her head around in surprise.

"Ah, Conan-kun!" she exclaimed, "Don't scare me like that."

"Gomen," Conan apologized, giving Ran a funny look. _Doesn't she seem more on edge than normal?_ Conan quickly wondered before shrugging the feeling away. "Kogoro-ojisan and I just finished setting up the tent," he said, "And now we're going to the local store to buy some supplies. Do you need anything?"

"Supplies?" Ran asked, putting a finger to her chin and thinking for a moment before responding. "Well, we should probably buy some bug spray," she suggested.

"Hai!" Conan replied, adding it to his mental shopping list. "Then, I'll be going now," he said as he ran off to catch up with Kogoro, who was already on the path towards the store.

"Itterasshai," Ran waved, telling the boy to take care. Conan stopped to nod and wave back before running off again. Ran watched as he disappeared into the woods, finally put her hand down when the boy was completely out of sight. She then returned her gaze to the campfire, which at the moment was nothing more than a few charred branches that had been left over from previous campers; they had yet to light their own fire. "He seems more energetic than before," Ran mumbled to herself, a look of relief on her face.

After visiting the psychologist, Dr. Redgrace, and hearing his suggestion for Conan to have a change of scenery, Ran decided that they- Kogoro, Conan, and herself- would take a weeklong vacation. Well, she had "decided" but ultimately, it was Conan who had suggested the locations. And four days into their excursion, they had practically traveled across all of Japan.

The first stop had been Lake Yamanaka, which Ran found to be a strange suggestion given that when they actually arrived, Conan refused to participate in any of the water activities. Still, he seemed to have enjoyed himself to a degree just sitting lakeside and reading a book.

Next had been Nirasaki, where the three of them had spent the day visiting the ancient shrines scattered around town. They had also managed to catch a local festival after nightfall.

By the third day of the trip, they had arrived at the Kamikochi Resort, where the day was spent on a hike through the woods and, later, in the deluxe saunas and spas the resort offered.

And finally, today, Kogoro had drove them to the furthest point of their vacation, a campsite in the prefecture of Toyama, whose location at the base of Mount Tateyama was rumored to be excellent for relaxation and reduction of stress. The plan was to spend the night camped out in the national park before making the return trip back to Tokyo.

For all the traveling that was done, Ran had to admit that, after observing Conan for the past few days, the psychologist's suggestion was working. The boy appeared more energetic than he had in weeks- gone were the vacant stares, the haggard expression, the bags under the eyes. Conan had even begun relaying amusing, albeit useless, trivia again which he had supposedly learned from watching television. It was as if the last few weeks were but a dream, and the real Conan had finally awoken. And of course, Ran was happy to see the boy return to his usual self. At least, she thought she would be.

As Conan slowly returned to normality, Ran was hit by a sudden realization, one which troubled her greatly and sapped the happiness she should have felt, that is, she realized that her emotions towards Conan had become a jumbled mess. It wasn't that her emotions themselves were jumbled, however. She felt anger when she was angry, felt sadness when she was sad. No, the emotions had been left intact. It was the object of her emotions that had become confused beyond repair, had begun to tear her apart from the inside out.

With Conan back to his usual self, was she supposed to be happy for "Conan"? Or was she supposed to be happy for "Shinichi"? After all, Conan was Shinichi and Shinichi was Conan, and yet the two were not the same. More and more, Ran was beginning to understand that, while the two might be similar in many, if not all, regards, there was one undeniable difference, namely, the role each played in her life. Conan was the little brother character, the one she could shield under her wing. Shinichi was the best friend character, the one under whose wing she was shielded. The two, Conan and Shinichi, tugged at completely different heartstrings. And yet, as of late, Ran was finding it difficult to differentiate the two. The two were beginning to harmonize in her mind, like two sounds merging into one.

But Ran refused to treat the two the same. She had promised herself that, until she had conclusive evidence they were in fact one person, she'd treat them as two separate individuals. Still, her promise was turning out to be more difficult than she imagined. It was not just Conan fainting, or writhing in the psychologist office, or running off into the woods, it was Shinichi as well. Like an afterimage, Shinichi appeared whenever she saw Conan. And with the two people merging in her mind, Ran wasn't sure what to think going forward. The problem had moved beyond the detective discovering her suspicion; Ran didn't even know how to interact anymore. Should she treat him as the seven-year-old Conan or the seventeen-year-old Shinichi? She just didn't know.

Ran sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out a laminated sheet of paper, the one that contained Conan's fingerprints. Despite recent events being rather hectic, she had not once forgotten her goal: to find conclusive evidence that Shinichi and Conan were the same person. To that end, she had even invited Shinichi to celebrate his birthday, in hopes of obtaining the teen's prints.

But now thinking back, Ran wondered if she had been a bit too heartless. Sensing Conan's condition, and yet still deceiving him, was the goal truly worth it? Did the end justify her means? She was doing this so that the two of them could move on, but if he came to hate her in the process, would there be any meaning to it at all?

Like many times before, Ran's resolve faltered once more. She was hopeless conflicted and wanted to throw away the evidence in her hand, return to the time before she found out Conan was Shinichi. Even if it was all just a lie, she wanted to believe that ignorance was bliss.

Just then, Ran felt a sudden urge bubbling inside, the urge to call Shinichi. _I know it's dumb_. She reached into her bag and pulled out her cellphone. _I know they're the same person_. Her finger pressed down on the speed dial, initiating the call. _I know I can just talk to him when he gets back_. The phone rang a few times before finally connecting.

_But just for a moment, I want to hear his voice_. Just for a moment, she wanted to be deceived.

* * *

**Local Store**

Conan was in the midst of deciding which bug spray to purchase (Bug Me Not or Bugone) when his phone suddenly rang. Pulling it out, he noticed that it was from Ran. He took a quick glance around and, finding that Kogoro was still busy picking out beer, slipped out of the store, moving to somewhere quiet before answering. "Moshi, moshi?"

"Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed as if surprised that she actually received a reply.

"Hey, Ran. What's up?"

"Oh, um-" Ran hesitated, clearly unsure how to proceed.

There was a long silence when neither of them spoke, and for a moment, Conan wondered if the call had dropped, given that they were in a wooded area. But when he doubled checked his phone, it appeared that the call was just fine, the signal still strong. "Ran? You still there?" Conan asked, wondering if something had happened on the other end.

"Shinichi, about your birthday-!" Ran suddenly exclaimed.

"What about it?"

"I-I think we'll have to cancel our appointment," Ran said.

"Why's that?" Conan asked, though he obviously knew the reason already- they were miles away from Tokyo. Still, "Shinichi" didn't know and thus it was only natural for "Shinichi" to ask.

"Conan-kun hasn't been feeling too well lately," Ran explained, "So we've decided to take a vacation. We're in Toyama right now."

"Ah sou. But what about school?" Conan asked, perfectly relaying what one might expect Shinichi to say.

"It's fine, finals aren't until next month," Ran replied. "And besides, I think this is more important than a couple of tests," she finished, her voice growing so soft that Conan could barely catch the words.

"Ran," Conan mumbled, suddenly feeling warm inside. "Well, the kid sure is lucky to have someone so kind beside him," he said.

"That's not true," Ran replied, "It's just...he's always been there for me. So just once, I wanted to be there for him."

Conan opened his eyes wide in surprise, stunned by the sincerity in Ran's voice. For a moment, he stood speechless, unsure how to respond to someone who had just put her heart on display. Fortunately, he didn't have to, as Ran continued before he could speak.

"Ne, Shinichi, how about celebrating your birthday when we return?" she asked.

"Eh?" Conan remarked, taken aback by the abrupt suggestion. _Wait,_ he thought, _that would just cause the same problem as last time_. It wasn't as if anything had changed since then, so if he agreed, he'd just be putting himself in another dilemma. And he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. _Just say no. Say no. No._ "Sure, Ran." _Baka!_ He was such an idiot!

"Really?" Ran asked, clearly ecstatic from his reply.

"Yup," Conan said cheerily, though he was already groaning inside. "When and where do you want to meet?"

"Eto, how about the Haido City Shopping Mall? Two weeks from now?" Ran suggested.

"Sounds good," Conan replied, realizing that he was probably digging his own grave. Still, it wasn't like he could refuse.

"And Shinichi-"

"Hai?"

"D-do you remember when you confessed to me?" Ran asked, causing Conan to blush.

"Ha? Why are you suddenly bringing it up?"

"Ah, no reason!" Ran quickly replied, "It's just...I never gave you a proper response, right?"

"Uh, I guess so," Conan said, scratching his head bashfully.

"Then," Ran paused, "Shinichi, I-I love you."

As soon as Ran said those three words, Conan could feel himself flush red with embarrassment. Though it had been fine when he confessed, in the heat of the moment, being confessed to felt completely different. A mix of emotions suddenly flooded his mind, causing him to feel rather lightheaded. Conan had to lean against a nearby tree to stop himself from falling over.

"Shinichi? Are you still there?" Ran asked, pulling Conan to his senses.

"Ah, I'm still here," Conan replied, feeling himself calm down a little. His heart was still beating much too fast though. "I'm still here."

"Ne, Shinichi," Ran began, "Can we make a promise?"

"What kind of promise?"

"That no matter what happens, you'll always be my friend."

_Ran, _Conan thought, surprised once again by how direct the teen was being. He wasn't sure what had gotten into Ran, but he was happy that they were able to communicate their feelings so openly. Conan felt a smile grow on his face. "I promise, Ran. And I promise that no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

"No matter what?" Ran asked.

"No matter what," Conan replied.

* * *

**Kaito's House**

"Damn it! That's not right either," Kaito cursed. He threw the box aside, having messed up the trick again. The box hit the ground with a resounding thud.

"Bocchama? Is something wrong?" Jii asked, walking over when he noticed the teen's frustration.

"They're not coming out right, the tricks," Kaito said. He reached up both hands to rub his eyes, hoping that it would have a calming effect.

"It looked fine to me," Jii remarked. He bent down and picked up the tossed-away box.

"It wasn't!" Kaito snapped, but immediately realizing his error, apologized. "Sorry, Jii-chan. I didn't mean to yell at you. It was uncalled for. It's just, the show's two days away and-"

"It'll be fine, Bocchama," Jii said, putting a hand on Kaito's shoulder as he handed the magician the box, "I'm sure you'll figure it out." Jii gave Kaito a smile before walking out the door, leaving him alone in the room.

"I hope so," Kaito mumbled, dropping himself down on the floor, back against a wall. He put the box aside and tilted his head up, eyes staring at the ceiling as he wondered what was going on. Aoko had been right. He was distracted lately. Ever since the shooting, it felt like all the color in his world had been sucked out. Magic used to come so naturally to him, like breathing. But now, both were tedious; he was struggling for every breath.

The doctor had reassured him that nothing was wrong physically, that it was all in his head. Was he just going crazy then? Kaito couldn't quite understand, in any cerebral kind of way. But he could feel it. He could feel the insignificance, the dullness, of reality. Things just didn't get his blood boiling anymore.

As Kaito stared at the magical box resting beside him, he came to realized that, for whatever reason, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

* * *

**Campsite, Toyama Prefecture**

"Damn, did he trick me?" Kogoro asked, mashing random buttons on his phone. Though he and Conan had just returned from the store, the mustached detective already managed to find something else to preoccupy himself with.

"What's wrong, Otou-san?" Ran asked.

"The friend who sold me the tickets, I was calling to confirm, but I keep getting an invalid number. Did he give me a fake?"

"Eh?!" Ran exclaimed, a worried look on her face.

"Tickets for what?" Conan asked as he walked over to join the conversation.

"It's a surprise," Ran replied.

"Surprise?" Conan wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Or, it would be, if Otou-san manages to get the tickets," Ran clarified, giving her father a dubious look, which was probably warranted given the man's sudden outburst.

"Argh! It's still not working," Kogoro grumbled, holding his phone above his head, as if that would make the call go through.

"Are you sure you entered it correctly?" Conan asked.

"'Are you sure you entered it correctly?'" Kogoro mimicked, trying to show Conan the stupidity of his question. "Of course I entered it correctly."

"Okay...can I take a look anyways?" Conan asked. After some nudging from Ran, Kogoro reluctantly handed the boy the phone. Conan took a glance before asking, "Ne, Ojisan. This friend of yours, is he from a different country, or used to work overseas?"

"Huh? Overseas?" Kogoro asked, as if suddenly reminded of something, "Actually, if I remember correctly, he used to work in a branch office in Spain. Though he transferred back to Japan last month."

"If that's the case, then he probably still has the same phone from when he was in Spain. Which also means you'll need to enter the country code before the number," Conan explained.

"Country code?" Ran asked.

"Yup! Normally, if you dial a domestic call, you don't need the country code," Conan explained, "But if you dial internationally, you need to add the two digit-"

Conan suddenly paused, a realization hitting him like a truck. _Wait. That's it! It's so obvious! How did I not see it before?!_

"Two digit?" Ran asked.

"Uh, two digit code," Conan finished, looking up from his thoughts. "For example, Japan is 81. The United States is 01. And for Ojisan's friend, who has a Spanish phone number, the code would be 34."

"Thirty-four," Kogoro mumbled as he punched in the rest of the phone number. "Ah, it worked!" he exclaimed when he heard the familiar ring that indicated the call was connecting. There was a pause before someone picked up on the other end. "Hello? Matano-san? Hai. This is Mouri-san. I was calling to confirm the tickets-"

"That's really impressive, Conan-kun!" Ran exclaimed, turning to compliment the boy, "Conan-kun?"

But the boy was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**Inside the Tent**

Conan quickly ripped out a piece of paper from his notebook and scribbled down the dream code from memory: San zero den go ni un yon hachi sen. The code had eluded him thus far, as he had spent much time racking his brain for the solution. But now that he had the key, it was a simple matter of decoding. "30 den 52 un 48 sen," Conan read off the paper. "That's translates to," he mumbled as his pencil moved across the page, writing down the real message. It was less than a minute before he was done.

Taking the paper in hand, Conan held it up and stared at the decoded sentence, a grin making its way onto his face.

So he and Akai were right after all.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Alright, I've pretty much given the solution to the dream code. All that's left to do is to actually decode it :) If you're too lazy, the decoded message will be posted in a future chapter so...there's that xD

Anyways, here's some ShinRan for those who were looking :D Hopefully, my rendition of Ran is a bit less 1-D than the one in the manga.


	39. Arc Four: The Magic Exposition

A/N: Just wanted to thank all the guest reviews. Since I have no way of replying, I wanted to let you guys know that I do read your reviews :) And if you make an account, then I can answer your questions. You can even follow the story ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**? ? ? ? ? ? (Hallway)**

"Well, well, Gin. This is a pleasant surprise. Do you plan to honor us with your presence at the executives' meeting?" Mead asked. Between the upturned nose and the dripping sarcasm, it was clear that the man was trying to push some buttons. Gin, though, didn't take the bait.

"You've sure managed to get cocky these last few months, Insect," Gin replied without missing a beat.

"I-Insect?!" Mead exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the bluntness of Gin's insult. But quickly recovering, and trying to regain the upper hand, he replied, "Ha! I see. You're just jealous that the boss finds me more important now and gives you all the menial tasks."

"Is that what you think is going on?" Gin asked, laughing smugly.

"What do you mean by that?" Mead snapped.

"Your little science project is just a pawn to the boss," Gin said with a shrug, the laughter now gone from his face, a serious, and threatening, look having replaced it. "Do you know how many ways there are to sacrifice a pawn in chess?"

"Why you-!" Mead began before Gin interrupted, slapping an envelope into his hands.

"Take this to the boss for me, will you, Insect? Oh, and I hope it's not too menial a task," Gin said, walking away before Mead could give any kind of response, protest or otherwise, and leaving a rather enraged scientist behind.

* * *

**? ? ? ? ? ? (Another, But Different, Hallway)**

"Damn that Gin! How dare he treat me like some pawn?!" Mead cursed as he made his way down the hall towards Conference Room C, the room where the executives meetings was to be held. As he walked along, he continued to grumble to himself, the blow to his pride quite evident. It wasn't until Mead reached the door of the conference before he finally shook his head and said, "Wait, this is probably exactly what he wants. Well, I won't let him get into my head." With a harrumph, he put his hand on the doorknob, about to enter. A sudden voice from inside caused him to pause though.

Listening closely, Mead realized that it was Etanoru's voice. What's more, it sounded like he was talking to someone. _Did the meeting begin already?_ Mead wondered, checking his watch. _No, it's still early. And besides, who would the boss be speaking with?_

The meetings nowadays only consisted of the boss, Vodka and himself, and Vodka was never even on time, let alone early. Then again, at least Vodka bothered to show, which was more than could be said about the other executives. Mead found it funny, or perhaps annoying, that the executives' meeting was so called despite most of the executive members failing to attend- Gin flat out avoided them like the plague; Vermouth always "happened" to be away on assignment; the other executives seemed to have similar excuses for not attending. In the end, Mead was stuck with Etanoru and Vodka, both of whom he wanted to avoid as much as possible, the former being rather intimidating and the latter being plain stupid. Unfortunately for the scientist, he didn't have the position or wherewithal to play hooky like the other executives, at least, not yet.

Mead sighed, his hand still on the doorknob as he pondered the situation, recalling that a similar thing had happened before. A few weeks ago, he had visited Etanoru's private study to give a report. At the time, he was also sure he had heard the boss conversing with someone. However, when he actually entered the room, Etanoru was alone. Though Mead had asked about it then, the boss had feigned ignorance and Mead, not willing to anger the man, had let the matter drop. But now that it had happened again, the scientist's innate curiosity was piqued. Mead was about to press his ear to the door, in hopes of catching what was said, when a voice, this time from behind, suddenly called out to him, causing him to shirk backwards in surprise.

"What are you doing, Mead?" the voice asked. It was Vodka. "Why are you just standing outside the door?"

"Ah, I was-" Mead began, trying to think of an excuse for his rather suspicious behavior. "You know, waiting until you got here, so we can go in together," he lied, giving the burly man a pat on the back. Vodka grinned, apparently having bought the story. _What an utter idiot_, Mead thought before saying,"Shall we then?" He opened the door and gestured Vodka inside.

"Gentlemen, welcome," Etanoru greeted as the two of the walked in. "Please, sit," he added, pointing to the two chairs beside him. Etanoru himself was already seated at the head of the table.

As Mead sat down, he glanced around and noticed that like last time, the room was completely empty save for the three of them. _But then who was he talking to? Was I just imagining it?_ Mead wondered. He didn't get to continue the thought though, as the boss suddenly called for the meeting to start.

"For the first order of business," Etanoru began, turning towards Mead, "I assume you have something from Gin?"

At the mention of the name, Mead felt his blood pressure rise, evidently having yet to get past the encounter from before. Still, the scientist kept himself in check, pushing the envelope across the table to the boss. Etanoru took it and opened the lip, pulling out a set of letter-sized photos from inside.

"Excellent," he said as he flipped through the pictures, a smile dancing in his eyes, "It seems things are proceeding along smoothly. Would like to have a look, Mead?" Etanoru handed over the pictures, which Mead promptly received.

The scientist scanned through the images, all taken of a boy standing next to a local bakery. However, it was neither the boy nor the bakery which caught Mead's interest, but rather, the color of the boy's eyes- they were violet. _Seems like the investment into a high speed camera paid off_, Mead thought, as he noticed the boss' pleased expression. Mead stopped himself from enjoying the success, however, realizing that there was still a long way to go before he could become the boss' "favorite". There was still much work to be done. "He was hospitalized after that," Mead said, putting down the pictures, "They did an MRI but fortunately, they didn't do a fully body CT scan. Our plastic transmitter would have been discovered otherwise."

"And would that be so bad?" the boss asked, catching the scientist by surprise.

_Is that a trick question?_ Mead wondered. _It'd obviously be bad if our plan was discovered, right? Isn't that the entire reason we've taken so many precautions up until now?_ Still, Mead couldn't help but feel that the boss had some particular answer in mind, though what it was, the man had no idea. He could never quite figure out what went through the boss' head, which made Etanoru all the more frightening. _What does he expect me to say?_ Mead wondered, paralyzed by indecision. Fortunately, he was saved from answering when Vodka suddenly decided to join the conversation.

"I've been wondering this for a while now, but why don't we just have a wiretap installed? Wouldn't that be much better than just having a GPS signal?"

_Ha? How stupid can you get?_ Mead thought silently.

"Vodka," Etanoru said before Mead could comment, "What do you think we would hear if we installed a subcutaneous wiretap next to his stomach?"

"Uh, his stomach?" Vodka replied, unsure.

"Very good!" the boss complimented, giving Vodka a smile, "So you see, that would be rather pointless, right?"

"Oh, I see. That makes sense," Vodka replied, also grinning.

Mead, at this point, wanted to slap himself across the face. _Can't he even tell when someone's being condescending?! _Before he could make a snide remark though, Mead quickly shook his head, realizing that it was none of his concern. If Vodka wanted to be dumb, then it was his prerogative. More importantly, Mead wanted to keep the meeting going so that it'd end as fast as possible. "Onto the subject of emergence, I have the updated data," he said.

"Go on," Etanoru gestured.

"Hai. The C.C. coefficient is resting at 98%, though you may have already inferred as much from the photos Gin provided. The emergence rate is holding constant at 100%. And now, the stability has also peaked at 100%," Mead reported.

"Good, good. And the time table?"

"Aside from the weeklong pause, there have been no further delays."

"I see. And do you have the locations?"

"Hai. They were Lake Yamanaka, Nirasaki, Kamikochi Resort, and Mount Tateyama."

"It's just as I suspected then," Etanoru said, folding his hands in front of him.

"What do you mean, Boss?" Vodka asked.

_How long is this meeting going to take if he keeps interrupting with stupid questions?_ Mead wondered, though in truth, he wanted to know what the boss was thinking as well.

"It seems our little guinea pig is coming quite close to the truth," Etanoru replied.

"Masaka," Mead said, but then paused as a realization dawned on him, "Wait, is that the reason for those particular locations?" Etanoru nodded. "Then what should we do? Isn't it too risky to proceed as we have been?"

Etanoru just smiled, evidently not a worry in the world. "I've told you before, Mead, there's nothing he can do at this point. After all, the ace lies with us."

* * *

**The Next Evening- Performance Theatre, Ekoda (Backstage)**

"Kuroba-kun, how are you feeling? Are you ready?" Miyamoto asked. He was the producer of the night's magic show, the one in charge of setting up the exposition and the venue.

"I'm ready," Kaito replied, looking confident as he waited backstage behind the curtains. Unlike his usual "Kaitou KID" attire, for the upcoming show, Kaito was dressed in a black suit, topped off by a rather eye-catching red bow-tie. Though in stark contrast to the white he was accustomed to, Kaito had to admit the outfit wasn't terrible. At the very least, it was expensive, and he had Miyamoto to thank for that.

"Alright, that's what I like to hear," the man said, giving Kaito a pat on the back, "Now, I know you've performed a lot in front of people before. But this is probably the largest audience you ever had. I just want to make sure you aren't nervous or anything."

_Largest audience, huh?_ Kaito wondered silently, trying to make a mental comparison between the current crowd and those that showed up to his "KID heists". In truth, his heists probably drew larger crowds, but there was no way he could tell Miyamoto that. "I'll be fine," Kaito reassured, "And besides, can you hear that?" Kaito closed his eyes and cupped his ears with his hands, letting the ambient noise wash over him. The hushed anticipation, the stifled laughs, the rustling of restless bodies as the audience waited for the show to start- the sounds were simply music to his ears. Kaito let the feeling sink in for another moment before opening his eyes. He then turned to Miyamoto and, with a mischievous glint, said, "I'm ready."

"I'll go tell the stage crew then," Miyamoto said, giving Kaito one last pat on the back. "Break a leg!" he called as he ran off to get the show started.

Kaito watched as the producer disappeared into the shadows, then took a few steps so that he was positioned center-stage. As he stared at the curtains in front of him, Kaito inhaled for a deep breath. This was his time now. The people on the other side were here to see him. All he had to do now was perform, to entertain with his passion of magic. Though the last few days had been rough, Kaito felt he could do it, could rekindle that passion. After all, with an audience like this, how could he not?

"It's time," Kaito mumbled as he heard the cue to begin.

The stage curtains slowly drew back.

* * *

**(Audience)**

_So this was the surprise Occhan bought tickets for? A magic show?_ Conan wondered. He could already feel himself growing bored, practically falling asleep in his seat before the show had even begun.

Hadn't Ran realized yet that he simply wasn't interested in these sorts of things? After all, he had said as much after the last two shows they had attended. Well, grant it Ran claimed it was for a change in scenery, to do something that he normally didn't do. But did it really have to be a magic show of all things?

Truth be told, it wasn't as though Conan hated magic shows, at least, he didn't hate them in theory. He understood the sense of wonder magic shows were supposed to evoke, the return to childhood magic shows were supposed to allow- though in his case, a return to childhood was rather unnecessary. At any rate, he understood all that, in theory. But in practice, Conan found that magic shows never lived up to expectations; he never found himself in awe of a good illusion because, for his analytical mind, there was no illusion to speak of. Regardless of the trick, regardless of the magician, Conan was able to analyze and understand, figure out how it was done. And once he understood, then what he saw was no longer magic, but a mere trick- a slight of hand, a bait-and-switch, smoke and mirrors.

And if all the famous magicians he'd seen in the past failed to capture his fancy, how was he to expect some random kid to? After all, just who the heck was Kuroba Kaito supposed to be?

Conan glanced down at the pamphlet he had received upon entry, flipping to the biography section. According to the text, Kuroba was a high school student, whose father had been a famous magician. And Conan couldn't help but wonder if that's how the teen had managed to secure such a huge venue, on the laurels of his father. It was only a passing thought, however, as Conan quickly lost interest, his mind returning to what really held his attention, that is, his plan with Akai Shuichi…

_"Are you sure this is what you want to do? You'll be putting yourself in a lot of risk. And if we don't make it in time, you may never be able to come back."_

_"It's a chance I'm willing to take, if it means we can finally strangle Them at the source. And besides, if we tamper with Their plans, there's no telling what could happen. They might lash out and I don't want to endanger the people around me."_

_"I suppose you're right."_

_"More importantly, will things work out on your end?"_

_"I have a couple of strings I can pull."_

_"In that case then, there's one last thing left to do: confirm our premise."_

_"Right, this entire theory hinges on your dreams being more than just dreams. And that grin, seems like you have a plan?"_

_"How does this sound? First, you claim that I'm suffering from stress anxiety and that the solution is to distance myself from Tokyo."_

_"I see. If there is a max window of two hours, then the dreams should stop once you exceed that timeframe."_

_"Exactly. If the dreams abruptly stop once I exceed the timeframe, then that would prove the dreams aren't just dreams. After all, since I can wake up at 4AM, then it can't be more than two hours to the location where the dream takes place. Moreover, if I chose a gradient of distances-"_

_"We might even be able to pinpoint a precise location, ne?"_

_"Hai. So, Dr. Redgrace, what shall we do then? In this live or die match-"_

"Conan-kun, look!" Ran suddenly exclaimed, breaking Conan out of his recollection. "It's starting!"

"Un!" Conan nodded, turning his eyes towards the stage.

There was much he needed to prepare, much he needed to tell Akai. He needed to inform the man that their plan was set to go, that their premise was correct. But that would all have to come later. First, he had to get through the magic show.

Conan leaned against his arm and sighed, preparing himself for the next two hours.

The stage curtains slowly drew back.

* * *

**(Stage)**

Kaito watched as the curtains parted, the spot light instantly shining through and onto him, blinding him momentarily. The moment passed though as he took a step forward and announced, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for attending tonight's show. Are you ready to see some magic?"

The crowd erupted into applause, so much so that the stage began to tremble. Kaito smiled. This was exactly the type of crowd he liked. He took a slight bow before raising his hands into the air.

_Shall we start off with something simple?_

* * *

**(Audience)**

Conan watched as the magician made his appearance on-stage and, though he had seen a picture beforehand, he was still surprised by how young the magician looked, more or less a teenager. And for that, Conan had to give the magician credit- to perform in front of such a large audience was probably no easy task, given the teen's likely lack of experience. But that was about the extent of Conan's praise, as he quickly realized the performance would be your run-of-the-mill magic show.

The magician, Kuroba Kaito, began with the clichéd welcoming speech used at all such events, followed by a standard opening trick, namely, clapping his hands together as two doves appeared, seemingly from thin air. After the doves were allowed to fly off, Kaito proceeded with the tried and true infinite handkerchief from the sleeve trick, drawing several Ooh's and Ahh's from the audience. Conan, on the hand, wasn't impressed and made his best effort to stifle a yawn, wondering if the two hours had passed. A quick glance at his watch, however, showed that they were only five minutes into the show, drawing a sigh from the boy.

Conan returned his attention to the stage and noticed that the magician was busy sawing his assistant in half.

"Can this guy be any more average?" he mumbled, tapping his finger impatiently against the armrest. _Actually, he's probably even worse than average_, Conan thought as he watched on. The more he saw, the more he realized that the magician, in addition to employing rather clichéd tricks, also lacked the distinctive qualities that separated great performances from mediocre ones, namely: energy, passion, and charisma. For whatever reason, the magician was performing rather half-heartedly, a fact that escaped the audience thus far, but, Conan was sure, like the magician's tricks, would be revealed sooner or later. And when that happened, the show would inevitably come to an early end.

_Maybe it won't last two hours after all,_ Conan hoped.

* * *

**(Stage)**

_Not good. I'm totally out of sync,_ Kaito thought as he set the stage for his next trick. Though the show had started off decently enough, he was quickly beginning to realize that the problems of the past few days were arising again. He just couldn't put his heart into any of the tricks. A glance over at Miyamoto showed that the man had realized as well, a look of worry across his face. _At this rate…_

He had to try something else.

Kaito reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, holding it up for the audience to see. "Now, for my next trick, I'll need a volunteer," he said, scanning around. _This should do it,_ he thought, recognizing that everyone loved audience participation. His eyes settled on a middle aged man, sitting towards the front. "You sir, can you please come up?" Kaito asked, pointing to the man. The man hesitated for a moment before finally making his way onto the stage, letting out a nervous laugh when he arrived.

"Don't worry, you'll do great," Kaito whispered, giving the man a wink, "Now, can you tell me your name."

"Funaki Sachi," the man replied.

"Alright, Funaki-san, can you please pick three cards at random," Kaito said, holding out the deck. Once the man had pulled out three, Kaito continued. "Okay. We don't need this anymore," he said, tossing the cards aside. Instantly, the cards transformed into doves and flew away, drawing another "Ooh" from the crowd. Kaito waited for the audience to settle down and then asked, "Can you tell everyone what three cards you picked?"

"Ace of diamonds, jack of clubs, and nine of diamonds," Funaki replied.

"Are you sure about that?" Kaito asked as he wrapped his hands around the man's and squeezed for a moment. He then let go and said, "Check again, Funaki-san."

When the man looked again, a surprised expression appeared on his face. "W-wait. They're just shapes now! A square. A circle. And a triangle."

* * *

**(Audience)**

Conan watched as the volunteer held the cards up for the audience to see, the big digital screens to each side of the stage confirming what he said to be true.

_A square, a circle, and a triangle on cards?_ Conan wondered silently, _Now why does this trick sound so familiar?_

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Don't mind my setting tags...I was just being facetious.

Anyways, the BO's plans are slowly becoming revealed. Some of you might already know what they're up to :P If you don't get it, don't worry. It'll become more apparent what's happening in the next chapter.

By the way, as a heads up, we're about 10 chapters from the end of Part 1! Woohoo! We're almost out of the prologue xD Now just like...100 chapters to go...


	40. Arc Four: Counter-Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**Performance Theatre, Ekoda (Stage)**

"Alright, Funaki-san, can you please pick three cards at random," Kaito said, holding out the deck. Once the man had pulled out three, Kaito continued. "Okay. We don't need this anymore," he said, tossing the cards aside. Instantly, the cards transformed into doves and flew away, drawing another "Ooh" from the crowd. Kaito waited for the audience to settle down and then asked, "Can you tell everyone what three cards you picked?"

"Ace of diamonds, jack of clubs, and nine of diamonds," Funaki replied.

"Are you sure about that?" Kaito asked as he wrapped his hands around the man's and squeezed for a moment. He then let go and said, "Check again, Funaki-san."

When the man looked again, a surprised expression appeared on his face. "W-wait. They're just shapes now! A square. A circle. And a triangle."

* * *

**(Audience)**

Conan watched as the volunteer held the cards up for the audience to see, the big digital screens to each side of the stage confirming what he said to be true.

_A square, a circle, and a triangle on cards?_ Conan wondered silently, _Now why does this trick sound so familiar?_

* * *

**(Stage)**

"As you can see, the cards have magically transformed in your hands," Kaito announced, both to the man and the audience, "But I'm not done yet. Funaki-san, can you please choose one card to hold on to, and place the other two inside your pocket." Kaito paused, letting the man do what he was told, before proceeding. "Now, I will attempt to read your mind and reveal the card in your hand. One moment please," he said, putting a finger to his forehead, scrunching his face as if deep in thought. "Hm, I sense that it's not the triangle," Kaito said as the triangle card magically appeared between his fingers. He then took the card and ripped it in half, at least, so it seemed to the audience; however, when he held up the two apparent halves, they were actually revealed to be two complete cards- a triangle and a circle. Kaito looked at the two cards in his hand with mock surprise. "I guess it's not the circle card either," he said, "which means the card in your hand is the square, correct?"

The man opened his eyes wide in surprise and exclaimed, "Yes, how did you know?!"

"Ah, that's because you seemed pretty square to me," Kaito replied, pulling out the punch line as he turned towards the audience to gauge the reaction. There were a couple of giggles and laughs, but overall, the energy in the room was clearly diminishing, only a fraction of what it was at the start of the show. _Still no good, huh?_ Kaito wondered, his eyes continuing to scan through the crowd. That's when they abruptly settled on a little boy sitting six rows from the front.

Kaito wasn't sure what drew his attention to that particular location, to the one guest amongst ten thousand spectators. Perhaps it was the boy's smug expression, or maybe it was nothing more than pure chance. Whatever the reason, the two ended up locking gazes, and for a moment, Kaito stood stone-still, a singular thought passing through his mind: _What is Tantei-kun doing here?!_

Of all the people to show up to a magic show, to _his _magic show, and of all the tricks to see, to see _that _trick, Kaito wondered if he was the unluckiest person in the world. After all, that was the trick he had shown the detective months ago, when he had been Kaitou KID, disguised as a psychologist. And now that he had repeated the same trick, this time as Kuroba Kaito, the detective was sure to make the connection. _Crap. Crap, crap, crap. What do I do now?_ Kaito wondered, his face showing nothing of the panic he was feeling.

"Ano, can I go back to my seat now?" the volunteer, who was still standing on the stage, asked, interrupting Kaito's thoughts and pulling his eyes away from the audience.

"Ah, gomen, seems that when I went back to second grade to get that joke, I got trapped for a moment," Kaito replied, eliciting another round of laughter from the crowd, "Please, go right ahead."

The man nodded and walked off the stage. Kaito, on the other hand, quickly shot a glance towards the location he had spotted Conan sitting, hoping to catch another glimpse of the boy.

However, the seat was, to his surprise, empty.

* * *

**(Yet Another Hallway)**

Conan wasted no time making his way to the backstage area, specifically, to the dressing rooms, a smirk on his face the entire way there. Of all the things he expected to happen, discovering Kaitou KID's true identity hadn't been one of them. After all, who would have thought that the magician, Kuroba Kaito, would turn out to be the phantom thief, Kaitou KID – it wasn't like their names sounded similar or anything and the two obviously shared no common interests; besides, the monocle had rendered KID's face completely unrecognizable; just as no one could fault the general populace for failing to recognize Clark Kent sans glasses, Conan (and Nakamori, Hakuba, Aoko, etc.) was not at fault for failing to notice the facial similarities between Kaito and KID. All that being said, expected or not, there was now no doubt in Conan's mind that Kaito and KID were one and the same; it wasn't mere coincidence that both had employed the same terrible joke, the one about being square.

Having made the connection, the next step for Conan, of course, was to find concrete evidence, the joke obviously not valid in a court of law- hence Conan's visit to the dressing rooms. Hopefully, he'd find some kind of damning evidence, or at least lift some prints and hair fibers.

As Conan rounded the corner, he was careful to pause and glance around, making sure that no one would notice him. Once he realized that the coast was clear, he made a beeline to the nearest dressing room, which happened to belong to Kaito, as the name plate indicated.

"Yosh," Conan said, putting his hand on the door, about to enter. Not surprisingly though, the door was locked. Conan paused for a moment, thinking about what to do next. Should he pick the lock? Conan wasn't in a habit of lock picking, seeing as it constituted breaking and entering, and hence, was illegal. He was much more inclined towards the "Oh, the door happened to be open so I let myself in" trope. Still, in this situation, he was doing it to catch a wanted criminal. Therefore, the action was justified, right?

_Should I break in? _Conan wondered again. Just as he was asking himself that question, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears.

_"Grab hold of true freedom and give in to your intuitions," _the voice said.

Upon hearing the voice, Conan quickly spun his head around, searching for the source. However, save for himself, the hallway was completely empty.

_"Give in to your intuitions,"_ the voice repeated.

_Is this-?!_ Conan thought to himself, suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity. He had definitely heard the voice before, back on the rooftop of the Haido Hotel. But before Conan could think about the matter anymore, he became lightheaded. He felt his legs wobble beneath him; his mind blanked out.

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of a drawer inside the dressing room.

_What...just...happened? _Conan wondered.

* * *

**(Stage)**

"There will be a brief intermission. The show will begin again in fifteen minutes," Miyamoto announced over the microphone before meeting Kaito backstage. "Kaito, go take a break," he said, giving the teen a pat on the back, "Don't worry. It's only the first half. You can make it up in the second."

"Hai," Kaito replied, forcing a smile. He knew full well that Miyamoto was just saying that to encourage him. Truth was, if he didn't shape up, the show would probably be cut short.

Kaito sighed as he made his way to the dressing room, realizing that he was more distracted than ever. Until the end of the first half, he had been constantly glancing at the sixth row, looking for the chibi-detective and losing focus of his own tricks. But despite the effort, he never did see the boy again.

_Did I just imagine it?_ Kaito wondered as he arrived in front of his dressing room. He was about to reach into his pocket for the key when he noticed that the door was slightly ajar; but there was no way he would have simply left the door open. _Could it be-?! _Kaito wondered, barging in and glancing around. However, the room was empty. Not pausing, Kaito quickly ran to a nearby drawer and pulled it open, rummaging through the contents inside. Failing to find what he was looking for though, a frown appeared on the teen's face.

_It's not here!_ Kaito thought, referring to his, now, missing card-gun. After the encounter with Zodiac, he had made it a habit to keep the gun close. However, it was not in its usual place.

"Are you looking for this, Onii-chan?" a voice asked from behind, catching Kaito by surprise. The teen quickly swerved around, coming face to face with Conan. In the boy's hand was the missing card-gun, wrapped in a napkin.

_Crap, he found it! _"Ah, little boy, you shouldn't be in here. This is a restricted area," Kaito said, putting up a fake smile.

"Gomenasai!" Conan replied, putting up an equally fake frown, "The door was just open and I got curious…I'm really sorry!" _More importantly, what are you going to do now, KID? I've got some pretty damning evidence right here._

_The door was just open, my ass. You broke in didn't you? Although, I have to admit, it's pretty bold of a goody-two-shoes like you to break into someone's dressing room. Did you want to catch me that badly, Tantei-kun? _"Ah, it's okay, really. By the way, that's mine. Could you return it to me?" Kaito asked, point to the card gun.

"Un! Although, I think I've seen something like this on television before," Conan replied, putting a finger to his chin. _Right, when you used it as Kaitou KID._

"It's definitely possible. It's a pretty common toy. A lot of people I know have one," Kaito replied with a shrug. _So, are you going to call Nakamori-keibu?_

"Eh?! But I've never seen it in a toy store before. Do you think I can show my papa, so he'll buy me one?" Conan asked. _I think you'll find it a bit more difficult to pull off a vanishing trick in prison, KID._

"I don't mind." _Looks like there's no choice. I'll have to use "that" now._

"Really? Thank you so much! I'll return it right away!" Conan said, making for the door. _Checkmate, KID._

"Oh, little boy, before you go, can I ask you one question?" Kaito asked, stopping Conan in his tracks. _The trump card is saved for last, after all._

"Nani?" _Give it up, KID. There's nothing you can do now._

"Kudo Shinichi, do you know him?" Kaito asked, giving the boy a wicked grin. _See, t__hat's where you're wrong, Tantei-kun. The game is just beginning to get interesting._

"Eh? I've never heard of anyone with that name," Conan replied. _Damn you, KID! You knew? How long have you known? And more importantly, why haven't you said anything until now?_

Kaito could tell that the detective was trying his best to hide his surprise and irritation, albeit not so successfully. _You need to practice your poker face, Tantei-kun, _Kaito thought before continuing. "Sou? That's too bad. Maybe I'll just have to go ask some other people," Kaito added, pretending to be troubled. _And like I said, a trump card is saved for last. With just this one move, it seems the tables have turned on you, Tantei-kun. What will you do now? Reveal my secret? But then, what makes you think I won't reveal yours?_

_KID!_

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Kaito asked, noticing that Conan had yet to speak. _Cat got your tongue?_

"Ah, it's just, on second thought, I don't want to play with this anymore. You can have it back, Onii-chan," Conan said, holding out the card-gun. _Mutually ensured destruction, huh?_

"Are you sure?" Kaito asked, taking the device back. _Something like that, Tantei-kun._

"Un! And besides, I need to get back to my seat. Ran-neechan's probably wondering where I went," Conan said, again heading towards the door. _Fine, you'll be out of reach, for now._

"Okay then. I hope you enjoy the rest of the show." _As always, a pleasure, Tantei-kun._

"Hai! Break a leg, Onii-chan," Conan said, walking out the door. _Literally._

_You're so spiteful, Tantei-kun_, Kaito laughed to himself as he watched the boy run off. _And it seems like our game of cop and robber has just become a bit more interesting, wouldn't you agree? _Kaito felt his hand ball into a fist, a sudden surge of energy taking over. _Just you watch. I'll show you what I can do._

* * *

**(Parking Lot)**

"Did you enjoy it, Conan-kun?" Ran asked as they exited the venue, the show having just finished.

"Yeah, I guess," Conan replied, opening the backseat door and getting inside the rental car. Though he wouldn't say it aloud, Conan had to admit that the second half of the show felt completely different in comparison to the first. The tricks were completely original, some of which even he couldn't figure out. For example, Kaito had pulled off a "saw the assistant in the box in half" trick, but without a box. Moreover, the magician seemed more energetic and passionate, which in turn got the crowd into a frenzy. At points, even Conan found himself applauding, though he quickly forced himself to stop, lest the teen should see and rub it in his face at a later encounter. And there would undoubtedly be later encouters, what with Kaito's propensity for theft and Conan's inclination to the opposite.

_Don't think you've won yet, KID, _Conan smirked, looking out the window as the car pulled away from the parking lot and onto the highway.

Though the thief had made it clear he knew Conan's secret, Conan wasn't too worried. After all, he wouldn't tell anyone as long as Conan knew that he was Kaitou KID. And what's more, the turn of events only served to add another layer of complexity to their never-ending duel, to up the challenge that KID heists would bring.

_That's right. It's not him I have to worry about,_ Conan thought, the smile slowly disappearing from his face as he thought about the matter at hand.

For now, the thief would have to be put on the back burner, to be dealt with at a later date. For now, there was another duel that had to be taken care of.

For now, it was time to go head to head with the Black Organization.

* * *

**(Backstage)**

"Good job, Kaito," Miyamoto said, giving Kaito yet another pat on the back. Kaito wondered if he was starting to bruise. "You really managed to bring it back in the second half. What happened?" the producer asked.

"Ah," Kaito said, scratching his head, "Let's just say I got a bit of inspiration."

* * *

**(Outside Venue)**

"Kaito! Kaito!" Aoko called, rushing up to the teen as soon as he stepped out the venue.

"Hey, Aoko," Kaito greeted.

"Ne, ne, Kaito, I saw the whole show!"

"So, what did you think?"

"Hm," Aoko started, putting a finger to her chin, "Did something happen during the break?"

"Huh?" Kaito asked, not quite following Aoko's train of thought.

"Oh, I was just wondering if something good happened. You looked much happier during the second half, after the break."

"Well-"

"Wait, I got it! You secretly received a kiss from a female fan, right? And then you improved your _game_ to impress her, right?" Aoko joked.

_Break? Kiss? Game? Tantei-kun? Secret?_ "W-what?" Kaito blushed, his brain confused by the abrupt, and rather random, suggestion.

"I was right?" Aoko exclaimed, surprised that Kaito was flustered by her joke. After all, she had only made it since the magician often self-proclaimed to be a ladies' man.

"Ahoko! There wasn't anything like that," Kaito quickly recovered.

"But you turned all red."

"That's because you suddenly suggested something strange!"

"Sou? Then nothing happened?" Aoko asked, both disappointed and relieved.

"Nothing happened," Kaito confirmed.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really really?"

"Really really.

"Really really rea-"

"Enough already!"

* * *

**Beika Park - Next Day**

"Ne, Ojisan, do you want to play with these dogs with me?" Conan asked, pointing to the two Siberian Huskies.

"Sounds like fun," the man, Dr. Redgrace, replied, kneeling down to give each dog a pat on the head. "What're they're names?"

"This one's Watson and that one's Holmes," Conan replied cheerily.

"Eh? Watson and Holmes, huh? Fine names."

"I know, right?"

"So, how was your vacation?" Dr. Redgrace asked, his voice changing to a whisper. The man then moved a hand to scratch the dogs behind the ears.

"Within expectations."

"Meaning?"

"They stopped as soon as I left Tokyo. The distance didn't matter," Conan whispered as he moved his hand over to scratch Watson's belly. The dog let out a happy whine and wagged its tail.

"I see. Perhaps _They're_ just being cautious."

"I also solved the dream code: san zero den go ni un yon hachi sen."

"Ah that. What was the trick?"

"Each digit pair represents a country code used to make international calls and the word after the digit pair belongs to the language of that country."

"So it's not Japanese?"

"No, that's what threw me off as well. Though each of the words could be Japanese, they're actually Greek, Spanish, and Polish. When translated with their respective languages, den un sen becomes-"

"Not a dream."

"Exactly.

"I'm impressed you managed to leave a message for yourself."

"It's only a shame that it took me so long to decode it."

"Still, this confirms our theory."

"That the events in my dream actually happened. And hypnosis was used to cover it up."

Dr. Redgrace nodded. "Then about our plan, do you still intend to follow through with it?"

"Of course!" Conan exclaimed, but then realizing he had spoken too loudly, quickly hushed his voice. "Of course. Did you set up everything on your end?"

"Yes, I just received approval from my supervisor this morning. We'll have a tactical unit on standby."

"Based on the frequency of dreams, _They_ must really be in a hurry to finish this. _It _will most likely happen again tonight."

"Then we'll be ready for it."

Conan smiled before turning his gaze towards the ground. "Ne, since you can't cancel the hypnosis, I'll probably be unconscious and not of much help, but…let's both do our best."

"Of course," Dr. Redgrace said, putting a hand on Conan's shoulder. "Let's finally end this, shall we?"

"Hai, let's begin our counter-attack," Conan declared before standing up. Then donning on the child persona again, he exclaimed, "Thank you for playing with me, Ojisan!"

Dr. Redgrace nodded and waved as he watched the boy run off into the distance. "Nine hours until midnight, huh?" he said, checking his watch. _Nine hours until it all ends._

Unfortunately, what Conan and Akai did not realize was that they had made a fatal miscalculation.

* * *

**Beika - Nine Hours Later**

"Listen, Redgrace, you're just here to observe, okay? Leave the operations to us," Kentaro, the head of the Japanese Special Task Force, said.

"Hai," Dr. Redgrace replied, folding his hands to signal that he had no intention of meddling.

Kentaro just sighed. "I don't know how you managed to convince my bosses to approve this. You must have some friends in very high places."

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Dr. Redgrace apologized.

"Whatever," Kentaro shrugged, "You said this is to help some kid right?"

"Hai."

"You know him well?"

"Hai."

"I see. Actually, I have a boy of my own. He's turning four this year, but he's quite the trouble maker."

"Is that so?" Dr. Redgrace laughed.

Kentaro joined in. "He's always causing trouble but…there's nothing I wouldn't do for him."

"I understand how you feel."

"So let's get those bastards!"

Just then, a call came over on the radio. "Kentaro, there's movement."

"Roger," Kentaro said, peering at the various monitors installed throughout the van. His eyes zeroed in on the center one, which was focused on the stairwell of the Mouri Detective Agency. Under the light of the neon sign, the figure of a boy could be seen. He was walking towards a nondescript black car that was parked three blocks away. He entered the backseat once he arrived. "Midnight," Kentaro said, looking at his watch, "Just like you predicted."

"Hai," Dr. Redgrace replied, eyes fixated on the monitor. _Conan-kun._

"Alright, let's make sure to keep our distance and avoid spooking him," Kentaro instructed into the radio. He then tapped for the driver to start the engine.

As the van followed the car through the streets of Tokyo, Dr. Redgrace stared at the monitor, careful to pay attention to anything that might seem out of place. Thus far though, events were proceeding exactly as he and Conan had theorized...

* * *

_**Dr. Redgrace's Office - Last Week**  
_

_"Allow me to sum up the discussion thus far. According to what you've told me, your dreams seemed to have caused three physiological changes. First, you find that your eyes occasionally turn violet. Second, the song Requiem for a Dream now induces headaches for you. And third, you've developed aquaphobia. Am I correct?"_

_"Hai."_

_"Hm, I can see two possible explanations. One is that the nightmares themselves have caused the physiological change. That is, the changes are in response to the nightmares."_

_"What's the other explanation?"_

_"Conan-kun, do you know anything about dream theory?"_

_"A bit."_

_"Then perhaps you've heard that dreams serve to consolidate the information we experience during the day?"_

_"I'm familiar with that theory. But what...wait. Are you saying-?"_

_"Exactly. The other explanation is that the contents of your dreams actually happened and those events caused your physiological symptoms. The dreams are merely your mind's way of dealing with the events."_

_"But I don't remember any of those things happening."_

_"I think that's what the hypnosis was for, to make you forget that those events ever took place. Though I suppose you never truly forgot, as the memories were able to seep into your dreams via your subconscious."_

_"Hm, if we assume the events actually occurred...then I have an idea about what's actually happening."_

_"Go on."_

_"I haven't told you this yet, but a few months ago, I had an encounter with Them."_

_"What kind of encounter?"_

_"I was kidnapped. There were two things that were weird about the kidnapping though. The first was that I managed to escape quite easily. The second was that kidnapping took much longer than it should have. Four hours longer to be precise. And no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't account for those two points. But, with what we were just talking about, if we assumed that They never intended to keep me from the start-"_

_"I see. If They managed to hypnotize you during the kidnapping, They could not only make you forget what happened, but also put a suggestion into your head."_

_"Exactly. The four hour window isn't nearly enough time for everything in my dreams to have occurred. Moreover, my dreams keep changing-"_

_"Which would make sense if new events were still occurring."_

_"Hai. I think up until now, I've been 'kidnapped' by Them repeatedly. This is probably what happened. During the first kidnapping, They used the unaccounted four hour window to hypnotize me and put an initial suggestion into my head. The suggestion was probably something along the lines of, 'get into this car at this specific date and time.' Then the car would bring me back to Them, where They would be able to continuing carrying out the events in my dreams, the torture and whatnot. This way, I would never suspect it and They'd have all the time in the world. After all, if They just straight up kidnapped me, chances are I'd resist and a lot of people would be out looking for me. This way, no one is the wiser."_

_"But isn't that a bit risky? What if someone saw you unconsciously walking to the car, under the influence of hypnosis?"_

_"I think that's why it occurs at night, specifically between the hours of midnight and four AM."_

_"How do you figure?"_

_"Occhan, Ran and I are all asleep by midnight. And I've woken up in the agency before at four AM. So that must be Their window to act. Likely, the suggestion also contains a command along the lines of, 'avoid detection above all else.' Though I suppose it's not too difficult to accomplish, given that Occhan sleeps like a brick and Ran is in a different room."_

_"I see. As expected of the Black Organization, to contrive such an intricate plan."_

_"Well, then again, this is all just speculation. Plus, I still don't know what They're trying to accomplish, with the electroshock and waterboarding. Are They trying to torture me for information?"_

_"Ah, about that. I think I might know-"_

* * *

**Special Task Force Van - Present**

"Redgrace?" Kentaro called, slapping the man on the back, "You okay? You've been spacing out for a while now."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," Dr. Redgrace replied.

That's right, with their theory in place, the only thing left to do was to the tail the car and follow it back to the Black Organization headquarters_. Still…things seem to be proceeding a bit too smoothly_. _What is this uneasiness that I'm feeling?_ He didn't get to ponder it further, however, as a call suddenly came over the radio.

"Kentaro, the car stopped."

Dr. Redgrace looked up at the monitor and noticed that it was indeed the case. The black car had stopped in front of what looked like an abandoned apartment complex.

_This is Their headquarters?_ he wondered, feeling something to be off.

"Roger. Maintain your positions until further orders," Kentaro replied, joining the psychologist at the monitors. "So, what do you think, Redgrace?"

"It's leaving," Dr. Redgrace replied as he watched the black car driving away on the monitor. It had left behind Conan though, who, after a momentary pause, proceeded to enter the building.

"Alright, seems like this is the place," Kentaro said into the radio, "Get your gear ready, men." Once the command was given, shuffling could be heard over the radio as ten trained officers put on protective gear and exited their respective vans. "You watch from here, Redgrace," Kentaro said as he opened the door of the van.

"Uh huh," Dr. Redgrace replied, still busy staring at the monitor.

"Don't worry. We'll stop this," Kentaro replied, placing a hand on Dr. Redgrace's shoulder.

"Hai," Dr. Redgrace replied, putting on a smile. With that, Kentaro exited the van and joined the rest of the task unit. Dr. Redgrace, though, leaned back in his chair, the smile wiped away. He was deep in thought.

_Something doesn't feel quite right. Why would They just drop Conan-kun off and leave? It doesn't make any sense. Also, this building…isn't it too cliché? It pretty much fits every stereotype of a "bad guy" hideout. Maybe I'm just overthinking it?_

"Alright, let's do a soft breech. We don't want the boy being taken hostage and there's no telling how many other civilians might be inside," Kentaro's voice said over the radio.

_What is it? What is this feeling? Something's not right. Something. Something._

Dr. Redgrace's eyes suddenly opened wide as a realization hit him. "Damn, we were too hasty!" he exclaimed, reaching for the nearby radio. He quickly pressed the button and shouted, "Kentaro, get out of there! Now! Get out! Get out! It's a trap! They knew we were coming!"

Just as he said those words though, the apartment complex suddenly exploded, causing a tremor that could even be felt in the van, despite how far away it was parked.

"Kentaro?! Kentaro?!"

But as the building went down in flames, the only sound was radio silence.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

And as always, I leave the chapter off on a bang, because...what would life be without cliffhangers? Boring! That's what.

So...after 30 chapters, I finally explain the four hour window xD See why this might take 100 chapters to finish?

Anyways, a lot of stuff happened...so...leave your comments, questions, speculations, gripes, dreams...whatever in the reviews! Let me know what you think :)

And hopefully I didn't make too many plotholes (fingers crossed)

CYA IN DA NXT CHAPTA!


	41. Arc Four: Postlude

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**? ? ? ? ? ?**

As the birds chirped outside, calling to one another in a secret language that only they themselves understood, and as the morning sun rose into the sky, fighting back the early chill, a boy stirred in his sleep, awakened by the warm glow on his cheeks. His eyelids fluttered a few times before finally opening, revealing a glazed expression that reflected the haziness of his mind, a haziness which persisted as he lifted an arm to shield his eyes, which were still unadjusted to the bright light, and after that singular act, the boy's body fell motionless once more, lost in the peace and tranquility of the morning.

In truth, he could not even remember the last time he had awoken feeling as such, without panic or sweating, without tremors or the need to vomit. So long had it been that he had nearly forgotten it was normal to feel rested after…well…resting, and his body pleaded for the stasis to last a moment longer. The boy relented, but only for a moment, after which his will kicked in, the voice in his head that reminded him there were still things to be done.

Finally breaking the stillness, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. A glance indicated that it was six-thirty in the morning. Flipping open the cover, the boy was surprised to find that he had no messages, text or otherwise. A perplexed look crossed his face before he decided to enter a number, pressing call once he was finished. Instantly, an automated message replied, informing that the desired number was out of service.

_Okashii,_ the boy thought as he sat up, eyes still glued to the phone. _Something doesn't feel right._

Just then, he looked up for the first time and noticed his surroundings, which were, to his surprise, largely different than what he was expecting; instead of waking up on his futon in the Mouri Detective Agency, he was now sitting on a couch in Agasa's house. A sudden feeling of dread overtook the boy, which was further heightened by the smell of smoking coming from the kitchen. Envisaging the worst case scenario, he instantly jumped up, off the couch, and ran towards the source of the smoke, yelling, "Hakase! Haibara! Haka-!"

* * *

**Agasa's House (Kitchen)**

"Hakase, did you hear something?" Haibara asked, the words barely out of her mouth when Conan suddenly came running into the kitchen. The boy paused for a moment to glance around and, upon finding Haibara and the professor, quickly dashed over.

"Ohayou, Shinichi. You're looking quite energetic," Agasa greeted, or at least tried to, before Conan abruptly cut him off.

"Where's the fire?!" Conan exclaimed, grabbing Haibara by the shoulder and causing her to flinch in surprise.

"F-fire?" Haibara stuttered before quickly recovering her usual cool demeanor, "What are you talking about, Kudo-kun?"

This time, it was Conan's turn to be surprised. He took a step back, a look of confusion on his face. "Eh? There was smoke. I thought someone was trying to set the house on fire."

"Hakase just left some bread in the toaster for too long," Haibara explained, giving the boy a wary glance.

"Bread?" Conan asked. He peered over into the trashcan and noticed that it was indeed the case. "But then…the phone…and this feeling…hm…" he mumbled to himself, a look of concentration appearing on his face.

"Shinichi?" Agasa called, wondering what was troubling the boy.

Conan looked up, but instead of replying to Agasa's call, turned to Haibara and asked, "Ne, why am I here? What happened last night?"

"Ha? We should be asking _you_ that," Haibara retorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Some random man named Dr. Redgrace suddenly came knocking at three in the morning and dropped you off here."

"Redgrace-?" Conan mumbled, trying to process the information. _Why would Akai-san drop me off at Hakase's?_

Three AM would be after the plan was to be initiated, and if Akai had been with him at the time, did that mean the plan had succeeded? But then, if the plan had succeeded, what reason would Akai have for dropping him off at the professor's house? _Matte,_Conan thought. Even if the plan had failed, there was still no reason for Akai to bring him to Agasa's house. So then why? Conan was also troubled that Akai hadn't been in contact since yesterday, with his phone out of service at the moment. Had something happened?_I have a bad feeling about this_.

"That man, do you know where he went afterwards?" Conan asked, looking up from his thoughts.

"No idea. He just drove off somewhere," Haibara shrugged, "Though he did say that you'd understand everything once you saw the news. Ne, Kudo-kun, what's going-?"

However, before Haibara could finish her question, Conan abruptly vanished, running to the living room. Upon arrival, he quickly turned on the television and switched to a news channel, just managing to catch the beginning of a live broadcast.

"And now we return to our special report," the anchorwoman was saying, "Last night, there was an explosion in an old apartment complex in Haido City, which is estimated to have occurred around 2AM. The fire was reported by neighbors, who said they had heard a loud boom which woke them up. When firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was promptly extinguished. What was surprising, however, was that several Special Task Force vans were also found near the premises. As firefighters dug through the wreckage of the explosion, they discovered the bodies of several of the task members. Thus far, the body count has reached seven, though more may still lie buried under the smoldering debris. At least one body has also been identified to be that of an INTERPOL agent, based on the badge the man was carrying. Firefighters with knowledge of the scene have told reporters that the cause of the fire was due to a meth explosion. Apparently, the apartment complex housed an extensive meth lab that was used to distribute drugs in the Haido City area. The question remains, however, as to what a combined Japanese-INTERPOL Special Task Force was doing trying to raid a meth lab. Neither the chief of police, nor the President of INTERPOL, have responded to requests for comments. The public, naturally, are in an outcry about the seemingly failed raid, wondering how such a thing could have occurred. Many police officials are also angry at what they perceive to be INTERPOL's meddling with local affairs. We will keep you posted as this PR disaster develops. In the meantime, let's turn it over to one of our reporters who's currently at the scene of the explosion-"

On cue, the video feed switched from the studio to the burned down building, where a reporter was standing, interviewing one of the locals about the current situation. Conan, though, had since stopped paying attention, the words from the television becoming a droning in his ears, background noise for his thoughts. He didn't even notice the remote slipping from his hands, or the sound it made as it crashed onto the floor. Instead, he was focused on a singular thought, one which looped over and over in his head:

_Just what…the hell happened?!_

* * *

**INTERPOL Branch Office, Moscow**

"This is a disaster. A PR nightmare," Paul said, throwing his hands up in the air. He paced back and forth in the office, notably restless. Then again, there was cause to be, given that phone calls had been coming nonstop since the night before, when news of the failed raid had first broken headlines.

"I'm sorry that I got you involved," said Redgrace. His expression showed that he was genuinely apologetic for involving his superior in such a turn of events. "I will take full responsibility."

"What good does that do now?" Paul asked. "Have you seen the news reports?"

"Yes."

"Then you must know that they've found seven bodies already, though my guess is that they're all dead. Even one of our own agents was killed."

"I know."

"The President is furious, at least, when he's not busy phoning angry calls from the Japanese Diet. You know there are rumors going around that INTERPOL might be kicked out of Japan?" Paul asked with a sigh as he sat down behind his desk, rubbing his temples with restless fingers.

For a brief duration, neither man spoke, feeling the weight of the situation on their shoulders. Finally, it was Redgrace who broke the silence.

"Paul, three weeks from now, I'm going to need a plane ticket back to Japan. Do you think you could arrange that for me?"

Instantly, Paul jumped up out of his chair. "Hey! Are you listening, Redgrace? People died from that operation," he said, "You're simply suspended right now, pending investigation. But if you aren't careful, the committee might press criminal charges."

"I know, Paul," Redgrace said, turning to the office window, a distant look in his eyes, "I know. But there's some things I have to take care of in Japan."

"That friend of yours?"

Redgrace nodded. _Kentaro-san as well. I'd at least like to give condolences to his family. _

"Must be some hell of a friend, for you to put so much on the line," Paul said.

"He'd do the same for me," Redgrace replied, giving Paul a faint smile.

"Hmph, there you go again, trying to sound all cool," Paul said, returning the smile with a big grin. "Fine, I'll get you those tickets. But first, you have to make it through the disciplinary committee. What are you planning to tell them?"

"Exactly what I told you and the Japanese Special Task Force. We were trying to stop an international blackmailing operation."

"And the meth lab?" Paul asked.

"-Was part of their operations."

Paul sighed. "You know, Redgrace, the higher ups might have had enough faith to let you run this operation. But now that it's ended up like this, don't think they won't turn on you in a heartbeat to cover their own asses."

"I'm well aware of that, Paul."

"Are you?" Paul said, giving Redgrace a doubtful look. But then realizing that nothing he said would change the psychologist's mind, Paul shrugged and asked, "What about your friend? Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes," Redgrace replied, leaving out the "for now" part. He knew that They had given Conan a tunnel to escape in this time, but he wasn't sure how long Their patience would last. _If Conan-kun continues to resist_-

Redgrace shook the thought away. _Please wait for me, Conan-kun, _he pleaded.

* * *

**Beika**

"Kudo-kun!" Haibara called, chasing after the detective, "Tell me what's going on!"

It was still early in the morning, about half an hour before school started. The two of them were busy making their way to the Mouri Detective Agency so Conan could pick up his backpack before heading to school. Haibara, having noticed the detective's expression after watching the news report, naturally sensed that something was amiss and, as such, was busy trying to extract an explanation with a barrage of questions. However, Conan, stubborn as ever, was repeatedly giving her the same answer.

"I told you already, everything's fine," Conan replied, folding his arms behind his head in an attempt to look as lackadaisical as possible. Haibara wasn't buying it though.

"Then who was that Dr. Redgrace?"

"Just a friend," Conan shrugged off.

"And what were you doing with this 'friend' at three in the morning?" Haibara pressed, emphasizing the question with air-quotations.

"You're persistent aren't you?"

"And you're dodging the question."

"I'm not-"

Before their heated banter could continue any further, it was suddenly interrupted by a phone call. Conan reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell, pointing to it as he said, "Sorry, Haibara. It's Ran. I have to answer this." Then without another word, he pulled ahead to take the call, widening the distance between Haibara and himself.

"Hey-!" Haibara exclaimed, perfectly aware that Conan was just trying to cop out of their conversation.

Conan ignored her though and instead proceeded with the call. "Hello? Ah, Ran-neechan? Eh? Where was I this morning? Oh, I went to Hakase's house. There was an invention he wanted to show me before school. Hm? Breakfast? Yeah, I ate already. Wakata. I'll drop by to pick it up. Hai. I'll see you later then. Ja ne," Conan said, hanging up the phone and returning it to his pocket. He then looked up, only to find Haibara inches away from his face, giving him a death glare. "Geh! Don't do that!" Conan exclaimed, jumping back in surprise.

"Kudo-kun, you don't want me to experiment on you while you sleep, do you?" Haibara threatened.

"Ah ha ha," Conan laughed nervously, "Please don't even joke like that." It was way too close to the truth after all.

"Then tell me what's going on," Haibara repeated.

"I already told you, nothing's going on."

"Really," Haibara said, a skeptical look on her face.

"Really," Conan insisted.

Haibara sighed before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. "Well, if there's nothing happening, then I guess you won't be needing this note that Dr. Redgrace left," she taunted, waving the page around.

"W-what?" Conan managed, clearly surprised. _Akai-san left me a note?_ _Why didn't Haibara mention it earlier?!_ "Give me that!" he exclaimed, jumping for it. However, Haibara easily evaded his attempt, holding the paper just out of reach.

"Then something did happen?" she asked. Haibara smirked, recognizing that she now had the upper hand in their little game of questions and answers. She didn't get to enjoy the victory for long, however, as a look over at Conan quickly wiped the smile off her face.

It was his expression.

_W-what's with him?_ Haibara wondered, realizing she had never seen the detective so desperate-looking before.

"Haibara, please," Conan said, holding his hand out for the note.

_He looks so conflicted, like he wants to tell me, but knows he can't_._ Just what did you get yourself into, Kudo-kun?_ Haibara took one last glance at the outreached hand before finally relenting. "Here, I was just kidding," she shrugged, handing over the note.

Conan instantly grabbed it and opened it up; on it was written, "I will return in three weeks."

"What's happening in three weeks?" Haibara asked, eyeing the note over the boy's shoulder.

"Eh?" Conan remarked, trying to buy time for a lie, "Eto…you see…it's the release of the new Kamen Yaiba movie. Dr. Redgrace promised to watch it with me."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Haibara asked flatly.

"Ah ha ha," Conan laughed, scratching his head. His laughter quickly died out, however, replaced by a serious expression. "Listen Haibara," he said, looking her into the eyes, "if anything happens, you'll be the first to know. I promise."

"Uh huh," Haibara replied, giving the detective a doubtful look before breaking eye contact. "Well, whatever," she shrug. Haibara knew perfectly well how stubborn the detective could be at times. And if he was really determined not to tell her, then he must have his reasons. She would respect them and wait until he was ready. "After all, friends are supposed to trust each other, right, Hakuba-kun?" Haibara mumbled.

"What's that?" Conan asked.

"Ah, nothing. Let's go get your backpack," Haibara said, running ahead.

"W-wait up!" Conan called from behind.

* * *

**Ekoda High School**

"Hm," Kaito mumbled, tapping his pencil against the desk, "I guess this could work. Or…maybe it'll be too easy? In that case, I should add this here…But what if he thinks it's corny? He'll definitely rub it in. On the other hand, that might not be so bad either. Then I'd get to see that deadpan expression of his."

Kaito laughed to himself as his pencil moving to and fro across the paper, occasionally jotting something down but then just as quickly erasing it again. He couldn't decide how to phrase things, how to put his ideas into writing. After all, he wanted the notice to be perfect. His archrival would expect nothing less.

As Kaito continued to work on the heist notice, a song suddenly popped into his head, which he was quick to start humming. The hum, in turn, attracted the attention of Aoko, who then ran over to see what he was doing.

"Kaito!" she called, standing at the front of his desk.

Kaito looked up. "Oh, hey, Aoko," he greeted.

"What are you working on?"

"English homework," Kaito replied, the paper on his desk magically transforming into yesterday's English assignment.

"Ah! Help me with mine," Aoko pleaded, pulling out her own from a folder.

"Eh? I guess that's fine," Kaito said, taking the page from Aoko's hand and setting it down on his desk. "By the way, where's Hakuba?" he asked as he scanned through the questions.

"Oh, it's rare of you to care about Hakuba-kun."

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me," Kaito shrugged as he began filling out the page, Aoko's sarcasm not affecting him in the slightest.

Aoko took a glance at Kaito before answering, "He's in France."

"Still? I'm kind of jealous."

"Eh? You're jealous?" Aoko remarked, suddenly leaning forward towards Kaito so that their faces were only inches apart.

Kaito, upon realizing how close Aoko was, abruptly pulled back. "W-what?" he asked. He wondered if there was something on his face.

"Did you take happy pills or something?" Aoko wondered aloud, "I mean, you're awfully peppy today. And you were even humming a song before."

"Ha?" Kaito exclaimed, giving Aoko an annoyed look. "When I'm happy, you say I'm too happy. And when I don't look happy, you say I'm distracted and depressed. Aren't your standards just weird?!" Kaito asked, leaping out of his chair. The chair made a scraping sound against the floor as it was pushed back.

"Why are you turning this on me, Bakaito?" asked Aoko, also jumping up.

"What was that, Ahoko?"

"You heard me!"

Just then, a bell suddenly rang, as if to signal the start of a wrestling match. It was followed by cries from several of the students:

"Start the fight!"

"Get her, Kaito!"

"Don't let him push you around, Aoko!"

At the sound of the cheers, Aoko and Kaito both looked up, surprised that a crowd had suddenly formed around them, trapping them in a circle of students. Kaito pulled Aoko closer and whispered into her ear, "Oi, do you have any idea what's going on?"

Aoko just shook her head, a look of confusion on her face. Kaito was about to ask something else, when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Alright, you two, here are the rules," a random student announced. Who made him judge, Kaito had no idea, but the kid continued anyways, "Everyone in the crowd will throw in items to be used as weapons. You can only use the items that are thrown in. Understood? Go!"

Without warning, things started flying into the circle, several of which almost hit Kaito in the head. He quickly sidestepped a flying toaster before catching something out of the air.

When Kaito looked down to see his "weapon", he couldn't help but exclaim, "What?! Why do I have a cat? I can't use a cat! And who even brought a cat to school?" The cat, Mr. Muffins (apparently), looked up at Kaito with lazy eyes, giving him a purr before it fell asleep in his arms. "Gah! I can't win with this!"

"Hey, you want to trade weapons?!" Aoko yelled, holding up what looked to be a tuna sandwich.

Kaito couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"This was your idea, wasn't it, Bakaito?!"

"Ah, not at all," Kaito replied. Suddenly, the cat in his arms jumped, flying through the air towards Aoko and grabbed onto the tuna sandwich with its paws. It managed to steal the sandwich away before running off.

"Hey! You stole my weapon! That's cheating!" Aoko accused.

"Ha? How is that my fault? And besides, your sandwich stole my cat!" Kaito retorted, picking up another item that had flown into the circle. It was a water gun this time. "Ha! Take this!" he yelled, spraying water all over the room.

"Ano," the teacher said, pushing her way into the crowd, "Class is still in sess-"

Just then, a banana came flying towards her, hitting her square in the face.

"-I guess we can end early today," she finished, collapsing onto the floor.

* * *

**Mouri Detective Agency**

"Tadaima!" Conan said as he walked through the door of the agency.

"Okaeri, Conan-kun. How was your day?" Ran asked.

"Great! What about you, Ran-neechan?"

"It was good," Ran replied, giving the boy a smile, "Ne, Conan-kun, what do you want for dinner?

"Hm," Conan said, thinking for a moment, "How about curry?"

"Okay. Then I'm going to the convenience store to buy something. I'll be back soon."

"Hai!" Conan chirped.

Conan waved to Ran as she left, heading to his room only after the front door had finally shut. Once in his room, he quickly fell back onto the futon, exhausted. Though he had gotten plenty of sleep the night before, it still felt like his body and mind were at their limits. Not only had he spent the entire day trying to piece together the night before, he had also spent it trying convincing everyone around him that he was perfectly happy. In particular, Haibara. And as anyone might know, trying to appear happy when not isn't any easy task.

As Conan let his cheerful mask slip, his mind began to wander, returning to the questions that had plagued him all day, ever since he had watched the news broadcast.

_Just what happened yesterday night? The apartment complex on the news, was that where I was taken? But it didn't seemed like the BO headquarters. Was it a decoy? And what was with the explosion? If I put all the pieces together, then the only conclusion that seems to fit is that They knew we were coming. They must have known that we knew. But then, that only leads to the further question: How could they have known? Was it a listening device? No. I had made sure to check for those. Then what…? And the matter of Akai-san. Where is he now? At the very least, he's not dead. If I had to guess, he might have been recalled by INTERPOL. But if that's the case, then he's probably also being subjected to the disciplinary committee. Is that why he can't come back to Japan for three weeks? Is that why he can't be reached by phone? _

As question upon question stacked in Conan's mind, he quickly realized that he and Akai had achieved the worst possible outcome. They had revealed their hand, but gained absolutely nothing. "Right, it's just like that time I was trapped in the locker, with Gin slowly closely in," Conan mumbled, placing a hand on his chest. He could feel the unease in his heartbeat, the feeling of dread that filled the air. It was so thick that it was suffocating.

Conan closed his eyes, trying to ignore the atmosphere and instead focus on his own thoughts. Though he could tell his mind was becoming jumbled and incoherent, he still had to try and figure out what his next steps should be. Or rather, what his next steps _could_ be. In truth, he knew there weren't many options open to him. After all, the BO had just proved They were in complete control by letting him live. They could have very well let him die in the explosion. Moreover, the fact that he was still alive meant They weren't done yet, that They would continuing doing what They were doing.

"What can I do?" Conan asked himself again, his fist balling up in frustration. If he tried any sudden movements, the BO might lash out again and kill everyone associated with him. They had already proved They wouldn't hesitate to kill those in the way, like the Japanese officers.

At the thought of the officers, Conan paused for a moment of silence to honor the dead. He could feel his heart grow heavy, as the knowledge that they died because of him took a toll. _Ten bodies. _With ten bodies on his shoulders, could he risk acting again?

"But if I don't do anything…" Conan mumbled, his words trailing off.

It was a lose-lose situation.

"Kuso!" Conan cursed, hitting the futon angrily, feeling the rare frustration that stems from helplessness. It wasn't often that the genius detective was at a loss, with seemingly no moves to make. If Akai had still been in Japan, that would have been a different case; the two of them together might have been able to make something happen. But now with Akai out of the picture, Conan had to admit, there was very little he could do.

"Three weeks," Conan repeated to himself, holding up three fingers. He wondered if he could last that long. After all, it was clear that he and Akai had already miscalculated. They just weren't sure by how much.

Suddenly, Conan was reminded of the conversation he and Akai had shared, in the event that their plan should fail:

_"I think that's everything then?"  
__"One last thing, Conan-kun."  
__"What's that?"  
__"If this plan fails, we need a backup."  
__"A backup?"  
__"Right. Someone to depend on, as the last resort."  
__"You mean-?"  
__"Hai."__  
_

Conan let the idea of a "backup" play in his mind, for the first time feeling the reality of the notion. At first, when Akai had suggested it, the notion had seemed so tangential, so inconsequential. Much as every "Plan A" had a "Plan B" simply because, so had the notion of "backup" existed in their plans. But now, with him backed into a corner, Conan wondered if he had to seriously consider it as an option.

Just then, a thought hit Conan, causing him to turn over on the futon. He reached a hand out and, as expected, found a copy of the day's newspaper. Picking it up, Conan glanced at the front page, the top of which, unsurprisingly, was an article describing the explosion in Haido City. What caught Conan's interest, however, wasn't the top half, but rather, the bottom, which listed the details of a new KID heist. The notice read:

_As I sit bored in the middle of my 7PM class, my friend challenges me to a game._

_|_ |X  
X|O|O  
X|O|O

_"Aha! The gem of the desert is mine!" I exclaim._

After reading the notice several times, Conan finally set the paper aside. "A backup, huh?" he mumbled, the gears churning in his head.

Instinctively, a hand moved up over his heart.

* * *

**Next Day - Heist Location**

"Huh, that's weird. No police tonight?" Kaito mumbled to himself as he ran through the halls towards the roof. In his hand was Nile Diamond, the object of the night's heist. "Did Tantei-kun not tell the police the solution?" Kaito wondered before he was hit by a sudden fear. _What if Tantei-kun hasn't even solved it himself?_ _What if he hasn't seen it in the paper yet?_ At the prospect that Conan might not show, Kaito felt his heart drop. _Then why did I work so hard on the heist notice?_

As Kaito made his way up the stairs, he could feel his feet drag along, the heist he had envisioned not nearly coming to fruition. However, even dragging his feet, he eventually made it to the top, stopping right before the roof access door. "Is Tantei-kun really not going to show?" he asked, placing his hand on the doorknob. For a moment, Kaito paused, feeling his heart beating furiously in his chest. _What if Tantei-kun isn't on the other side of this door? What am I going to do then? _Kaito wondered. Was he just going to leave it at a snatch and grab, like some common thief, without an audience? He couldn't even think of anything more unsatisfying.

Thus it was with bated breath that Kaito slowly turned the handle and pushed open the roof access door, taking a step out into the night. His eyes instantly scanned around, searching for the small figure of the chibi-detective, hoping beyond hope that he would be there, waiting for him.

And to his relief, Kaito was not disappointed, his eyes spotting a figure standing in the shadows.

At that moment, all the worries flew out of his head. Kaito felt his heart skip a beat as a twinkle danced in his eyes, the work he put into the heist suddenly all worth it. Kaito took a step towards the figure and said, "Hello, Tantei-kun."

At the sound of his voice, the figure stepped out of the shadows. "I've been waiting for you, KID."

Kaito smirked, realizing that those words were music to his ears.

* * *

**Later, Jii's Car**

"Bocchama, how was the heist?" Jii asked as the teen dropped himself in passenger seat. Kaito, though, didn't respond, as if lost in his own thoughts. "Bocchama?" Jii called again, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. That seemed enough to pull Kaito's attention, causing him to turn around. Instantly, Jii noticed the distant look in Kaito's eyes, evidence that something had happened during the heist. But before Jii had a chance to ask, Kaito spoke.

"Can you just drive, Jii-chan," Kaito said softly, a somber expression on his face. Realizing that Kaito was in no mood to talk, Jii simply nodded and started the engine, pulling the car onto the highway back towards Ekoda.

With Jii busy operating the car, Kaito turned his attention out the window. He watched the road as it monotonously rolled by, threatening to lull him to sleep. _But maybe that's exactly what I need right now, to go to sleep, to blank out my mind._

At the moment, Kaito didn't want to think about anything. He didn't want to think about the heist. He didn't want to think about Conan. He didn't want to think about the gun in his inner suit pocket. The gun that shot real bullets.

Kaito moved a hand to his chest and felt the outline of the gun, the cold metal whose only function was to kill.

"Why, Tantei-kun?" Kaito mumbled as his hand fingered the barrel, "I don't understand."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Can you figure out the location of KID's heist? Hint: A map of Beika might help ;) Leave the answer in a review! And props to anyone who can tell me what the classroom fight scene is a parody of :P

See you guys in chapter 42!


	42. Interlude: The Qualifications of a Hero

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

"Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a family: Papa, Mama and three children. The oldest of the three children was a girl, called Pinky. The second oldest was a boy, called Blinky. And finally, the youngest, was another boy, called Inky. So in all, there was two brothers and one sister.

The siblings lived together happily with their papa and mama in a house by a lake. According to the locals, the lake was called Paradise Lake because of how beautiful it looked when the sun reflected off its surface. The lake also had a lot of fish swimming inside. Papa would often catch a lot of fish for his family to eat. And everyone loved eating what Papa caught. Especially Inky. Inky would jump around in excitement whenever Papa brought back a big fish from the lake.

One time, Papa even brought Inky fishing on the lake. Papa taught Inky how to hold a fishing rod, how to cast a line, and how to reel in a catch. Inky was so happy when he got his first catch, even if it was a puny sardine. Papa laughed when he saw how small the fish was, but still patted Inky on the head, saying how proud he was. Inky beamed with joy at that. He would never forget that moment. Inky also wished that things would never change, that things would stay just how they were.

But as the days slowly passed, it became clear that his wish would not come true. The members of Inky's family began to change.

It first began with Pinky. Before, Pinky would spend a lot of time playing with her two younger brothers, whether it was running around in a field or during bath time. But as she grew, she started spending more time alone, playing by herself. She no longer brought Blinky and Inky out at night to catch fireflies. They no longer played in the bath together. They didn't even laugh together anymore.

And although the change made Inky very sad, he was happy that he at least still had Blinky. Blinky was only a year older than Inky, so the two of them shared a lot of common interests. That is, until one night when Blinky suddenly changed too.

Inky wasn't sure what had happened, but after that night, Blinky became a really mean person. Whenever Inky tried to speak, Blinky would poke fun at him, call him a stupid idiot. Inky would often burst into tears and run away. But running only made Inky feel worse, because what he really wanted was to be together with Blinky. So despite Blinky's meanness, Inky would still follow his older brother around. The teasing, the punching, the glares, Inky would endure it all if it meant that he could be with Blinky.

And for a while, it worked. Inky was able to play with Blinky again. Even if it meant that Inky had to play the robber every time. Even if it meant he was the evil demon lord while Blinky played hero.

But things didn't last. No matter how hard Inky tried, no matter how much Inky thought he could endure, there was nothing he could do when Blinky began ignoring him. To be hated might have been bad, but to be ignored was worse. Blinky simply pretended that Inky didn't exist. When Inky tried to talk, Blinky would pretend not to hear. Where Inky went, Blinky went the opposite.

Inky, suddenly feeling lonely, ran crying to Mama.

'Mama!' Inky called, tears running down his face.

'What's wrong, child?' his mama said, stroking his hair. The motion calmed Inky down. He sniffled a little and wiped away his tears.

'Pinky and Blinky won't play with me,' Inky said.

'Is that so? Well then, Mama will play with Inky. How does that sound?' she asked.

Inky nodded furiously, excited that someone would play with him.

And so for a while, Inky clung to Mama, at least, whenever he could. Mama had to work during the day and Inky was not allowed into the room where she worked. So, Inky would wait outside the door the entire day until Mama came out. Excitedly, he'd run towards her as soon as she walked out and wrap her in a hug. Mama would pat Inky on the head and praise him for being so patient. Then the two of them would go play.

Mama taught Inky how to do many things, like sewing, cooking, painting, and other crafts. And though Inky messed everything up at the beginning, he soon got better and better. It wasn't long before he could cook as well as Mama.

One time, while Inky and Mama were sewing patterns onto some clothes, Mama paused for a moment and just looked at Inky. Inky, noticing he was being watched, stopped too and asked why Mama was staring.

'I'm just proud that my Inky is growing up to be such a fine young man,' Mama said.

Inky blushed. 'W-what are you saying, Mama?' he asked. But Inky was secretly happy. He was happy that Mama had noticed him, had even praised him. Inky could feel a smile grow on his face, despite his best efforts to hide it.

'Inky, what do you think are the qualifications of a hero?' his mama suddenly asked, catching the boy's attention.

'A hero?' Inky asked.

'Yes, what is a hero?' Mama repeated.

Inky thought about it for a moment. 'Hm. He should be able to fly!' Inky replyied, stretching out his arms like wings. 'And he should have a cape! And be super strong, so he can beat up the bad guys.'

'Sou ka,' Mama replied, giving Inky a warm smile. 'Do you think the Red Ranger is a hero?'

'Of course,' Inky said without thinking.

'He can't fly though,' Mama pointed out.

'But he's still a hero!' Inky protested.

'I see. What about Ultraman then? Is he a hero?' his mama asked.

'Definitely!'

'But Ultraman doesn't have a cape.'

'That doesn't matter! He's still a hero!' Inky yelled.

'Hm,' Mama said, giving Inky a confused look, 'Then what about Popman?'

'He's a hero too, Mama. Why are you asking all these silly questions?' Inky said, giggling.

'But Popman isn't strong at all,' Mama replied.

'He fights bad guys, so he's a hero,' Inky explained.

'I see. So, it doesn't matter if someone can fly, or have a cape, or be super strong. The hero just has to beat up the bad guys, right?'

'Un!' Inky nodded.

'But what about when someone has to fight the good guys. Can he still be a hero?'

'No,' Inky instantly replied.

'What if someone sees a police officer being a bully and beats him up. Is that person a hero?'

'Of course!'

'But he just beat up a good guy,' his mama said.

'The officer was being a bully though,' Inky replied.

'Then it's not whether the label is good guy or bad guy, but the action, that makes someone a hero?'

'U-un,' Inky said, nodding much more hesitantly now.

'And does the hero have to be a "he"?'

'Huh?'

'Can a girl be a hero too?'

'I-I guess. Ah, you're making my head hurt, Mama,' Inky said, scratching his head.

Mama just laughed. 'Sorry, Inky. I didn't mean to ask you so many question.'

'T-then, what do you think are the qual-qual-'

'Qualifications.'

'-qualifications of being a hero?' Inky asked.

'Let me see. I think it's someone who is willing to give up what they want so that others don't have to suffer. What do you think about that definition, Inky?'

Inky wasn't sure what to make of it, as he did not understand what Mama had meant. And for the time being, that was the end of the conversation. Mama never brought up the subject again, and Inky never asked. But it was always on his mind- the qualifications of a hero.

As time pass, Inky spent more time with his mama than before. Pinky was still spending time alone and Blinkly was still ignoring Inky. Inky was fine though, as long as he had Mama. Then one day, while Inky and Mama were busy cooking dinner, Mama began coughing. Inky immediately asked what was wrong, but Mama just said she was tired and to not worry. Inky couldn't help but worry though; after all, who would play with him if Mama became sick? From that moment on, Inky kept a close eye on his mama, trying to help her out whenever he could. He even went to Blinky to ask if he knew what was wrong with Mama.

'Huh? Mama's sick?' Blinky asked.

'Yes, she's coughing a lot lately,' Inky replied.

'Isn't that just because she has to deal with you?' Blinky retorted.

'What do you mean?' Inky asked.

'Man, you're stupid. Mama has to work all day, right? And then right after work, you pest her all evening to play with you. She's probably exhausted. It's no wonder she's coughing a lot,' Blinky snapped before walking away.

'It's my fault that Mama's sick?' Inky thought to himself. Inky thought about what Blinky had said and realized that it did make a lot of sense. Suddenly, Mama's definition of hero came back into Inky's mind. _A hero is someone who is willing to give up what they want so that others don't have to suffer._

'I-I will be Mama's hero!' Inky shouted.

From then on, Inky tried to avoid Mama as much as possible. When Mama asked if he wanted to cook or sew together, Inky just shook his head and walked away. He didn't want to trouble Mama any more.

Unable to play with Pinky, Blinky, or Mama, Inky tried turning to Papa. However, as Pinky and Blinky had changed, so did Papa. Rarely was Papa out of his workroom anymore and when he was, it was only to eat. As soon as dinner was done, he would return to the room, not to be seen again until the next meal.

One time, Inky had collected all the fishing equipment and waiting outside Papa's workroom until dinner time. As soon as Papa opened the door, Inky ran up and asked if Papa would go fishing with him, like before. However, Papa just glared at Inky, a scary look on his face.

'Fishing?' Papa said, grapping the fishing rod from Inky's hand and throwing it aside, 'Why don't you spend your time doing something productive?' With that, Papa left and went to the dinner table.

Inky stayed behind and kneeled down to pick up the fishing rod Papa had thrown away. The rod had broken in half and was now unusable. Inky took the fishing supplies back to the shed and put them away. He was about to leave when a picture frame caught his attention. Inky walked over and picked up the picture. It was a photograph of the day he had caught his first fish, the small sardine from Paradise Lake. In the picture, Inky was standing in the front, smiling and proudly holding his sardine. To the right of him was Papa, who had a hand on the boy's head. On the left was Mama, Pinky and Blinky, all making silly faces for the camera.

As Inky held the picture in his hands, he started to cry. He wondered why his happy family had to change. He wanted to go back to those cheerful days. When Pinky wasn't alone all the time. When Blinky wasn't mean. When Mama wasn't sick. When Papa didn't work all the time.

'But how?' Inky wondered to himself. How could he bring back everyone's smiles? He was no hero after all. He couldn't fly. He didn't have a cape. He wasn't even strong. 'Is there anything I can do?' Inky thought, 'Is there some way I can be a hero?'

That's when Inky saw the fishing equipment. An idea suddenly came to mind. He knew what he had to do. He knew how even he could be a hero. Without a second thought, Inky grabbed the fishing stuff, rushed out to the lake and jumped into the boat docked there. He paddled it out to the middle of the lake before stopping and throwing out a line.

'If I can just catch some fish for dinner, I'm sure everyone will be really happy. Then they'll smile again,' Inky thought to himself, a smile appearing on his face for the first time in what felt like forever. As he waited for a bite, Inky hummed a song to himself, one his family used to sing together at dinner.

'I can't wait until everyone sees what I've caught,' Inky said as he peered into the water. That's when he noticed the grey clouds reflected in the surface of the lake. Inky looked up and saw that a storm was indeed brewing.

'I can't go back yet,' Inky said, shaking his head. He had to catch a fish first, even if he'd have to do it in the middle of a storm.

It wasn't long before the storm hit with full force. Rain came pouring down, soaking Inky to the core. The wind was also blowing furiously, knocking the boat around. Inky was determined though. Even in this kind of weather, he would catch something. His determination was soon rewarded, as he felt a tug on his fishing rod. Instantly, Inky reeled the line in, pulling out a medium sized bass from the water.

'I did it!' Inky exclaimed, jumping up. However, his motion, in addition to the fierce waves, caused the boat to suddenly flip over, throwing Inky into the lake. Inky struggled to swim, but the waves turned out to be too strong for him. It wasn't long before Inky became fully submerged, his body sinking into the depths of the lake. As consciousness slowly slipped away, Inky was only concerned with making sure to keep hold of the bass he had caught. He was going to be a hero, after all.

When Inky regained consciousness, he realized he was flying. For some reason, he had a cape on as well. 'W-what's happening?' Inky exclaimed, looking down at the ground below him. To his surprise, he saw a copy of himself lying unconscious on edge of the lake, the bass still tightly gripped in his arms. 'I-is that me?' Inky wondered.

Just then, Inky heard voices calling his name. Looking around, he noticed that it was his family, Papa, Mama, Pinky and Blinky, all rushing towards where his body-copy laid. Upon reaching it, Mama instantly began crying. Papa, Pinky, and Blinky all had serious looking faces as well. Inky instantly swooped down from above and landed next to them.

'Why is everyone crying?' Inky asked, looking around. But it seemed that no one heard him.

'Is he dead?' Blinky asked, poking the body-double. Papa nodded his head.

'Dead? What are you talking about? I'm right here,' Inky said, jumping around on the sand. Still, no one paid attention to him.

'What was he doing out on the lake?' Pinky asked, a solemn look on her face.

'I don't know. I was working,' Papa replied, looking just as sad.

Mama was silent, tears running down her face.

Looking at everyone's face, Inky felt himself begin to cry as well. 'This isn't what was supposed to happen! This isn't what I wanted at all!' Inky exclaimed.

Just then, Blinky spoke, 'Look, isn't he holding something?'

Everyone turned to look and noticed the bass that was still in the body-copy's arms.

'Is that a fish?' Pinky asked.

'He must have been on the lake to catch a fish,' Blinky said.

'But why would he do that?' Pinky asked.

'I did turn him down pretty harshly a while ago,' Papa admitted.

'Do you think he did it for us?' Pinky asked.

'What do you mean?' Blinky asked.

'Well, Papa turned him down. And I've been a bit busy with my own stuff,' Pinky said, 'And you've just been a douche to him, Blinky.'

'Hey!' Blinky protested.

'So maybe he did this to try and bring us together, like before,' Pinky said, reaching a hand into the body-copy's pocket. She pulled out a picture. 'See?' she said.

'This is from that time!' Blinky exclaimed.

'So you were doing this all for us, Inky?' Papa asked, putting a hand on the body-copy's head.

At that point, the real Inky couldn't hold it any more. 'Yes, I just wanted things to be like they were before, when everyone was happy and got along!' Inky shouted.

'Did you just hear something?' Pinky asked.

'I thought I heard Inky's voice but...was I just imagining it?' Blinking added.

'No, that was Inky's voice,' Mama finally said after her long silence. 'It was Inky's voice, echoing from here,' she said, pointing to each of their hearts. 'And it will always be there, as long as you live. So do not forget him, alright?' Mama asked, looking each of family member in the eye, 'Do no forget...our hero.'

'Hai,' Papa, Pinky, and Blinky all said, a warm smile growing on each of their faces.

Upon seeing the smiles, Inky felt a sudden pang in his heart. He had succeeded in retrieving their smiles. No longer able to stop, Inky let his tears flow. 'I am…a hero,' he said as big, salty drops rolled down his face. 'I am a hero,' he repeated, a grin stretching from ear to ear."

"And so, even though Inky wasn't with them anymore, thanks to his brave actions, his family was able to live on happily ever after. The End!" Naku exclaimed, writing down the last line of the story as he set his pen aside. He picked up the pages, glancing at them before tucking them away into a pocket. "Ah! I feel so much better now that I've finally wrote that story down," he sighed, getting up out of the chair, "It's been stuck in my head all week." Then after walking a bit, he asked, "I wonder why the story suddenly popped into my head?" After a brief pause, Naku giggled to himself, "Maybe I'm a genius?" With that, the boy twirled around, his arms outstretched as if with not a single care in the world. "Hm, what should I do now?"

Naku looked around, wondering if there was anything he could play with. That's when he noticed the stacks and stacks of boxes littered around the room. "Maybe there's something fun inside?" he said as he grabbed onto a box at the top of a stack. That, however, caused the box to become unbalanced, resulting in the entire stack toppling over. "Ah!" Naku exclaimed as a mountain of boxes came tumbling down on him.

* * *

Mead was walking along the hall, heading to the lab as per usual, when he suddenly heard a crashing sound from one of the rooms.

"What was that?" he wondered, the noise having put him on alert. He looked around before realizing that the crash had come from the door to his left. Cautiously, he approached and swiped his access card. The door unlocked with a click. Mead then reached for the handle, hesitated for a moment, and pushed the door open, taking a small step inside. The automatic lights, sensing his movement, turned on, illuminating the previously dark room.

Peering inside, Mead noticed that one of the boxes had toppled over, some of its contents having spilled out onto the ground. Aside from that though, the room was strangely deserted.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

If you didn't understand the purpose of this chapter, just think of it as a short omake. And speaking of omakes, JelpHasNails wrote a pretty humorous omake that I thought I'd include here. Enjoy :)

* * *

**Like A Secret**

* * *

A/N (JelpHasNails): The setting is vague but would take place after Kaito finds out about Conan's nightmare issues in The Memoires of a Detective. Not sure where they are exactly. Part of me feels like they're at an inn with Kogorou, Ran, and Holmes and Watson around. In one rendition Kogorou was there in the room with them, sleeping through this entire thing. In another version, Watson and Holmes wake the two boys up, leaving the sliding door open so that Ran hears their conversation. Or this is all in their heads.

* * *

"No!" Kaito gasped, his body twisting as he awoke. The sharp images of his dream began to fade, but the sensations of utter despair and desperation clung to him. He twisted in his sheets, feeling like they were choking him. Kaito tore them away from his body. "What a dream."

His body trembled as a chill began to snake through his core. Part of it was a psychological reaction to the sickening feeling his dream had caused, but the other was physiological as the cool air hit his sweat-soaked skin. Hoping he hadn't woken the detective – Kaito knew he needed all the sleep he could get – he got up, his feet padding quietly to the bathroom for a quick shower to warm him and cleanse the sweat from his body.

When Kaito returned, he felt better, the memory of the dream fading and the presence of Conan lying close by reassured him. Slipping under the covers, he could feel his eyelids begin to droop.

"If you want to pretend to be asleep, Meitantei, you need to deepen your breathing and make your breaths come more slowly," Kaito murmured.

"Baro. Who's pretending?"

Kaito turned over, looking at Conan who looked even younger without his glasses ornamenting his eyes. One blue eye peeked open to look at him.

"We're both pretending," Kaito stated before turning on his back, praying sleep would come.

"Oyasumi, Kid."

"Oyasumi."

* * *

When Conan awoke the next morning, he felt strangely warm. Finding the magician's arms engulfing him, he felt a blush rise on his cheeks. As he tried to wriggle out of the grasp, he failed in untangling himself but managed to wake Kaito up in the process. Kaito's body stretched and twisted like a cat does upon awakening. His arms loosened and straightened around Conan before Kaito re-established his hold.

"I am not a teddy bear," Conan grumbled. Kaito gave a murmured sound of agreement before pulling Conan closer into his embrace.

"You're warmer. And softer," Kaito agreed, his lips all but pressed against Conan's head as he spoke, the warmth of his sleep-ridden words ghosting across his hair, spreading a strange tingling sensation throughout his body.

"O-oi," Conan protested, struggling against Kaito a bit, only to be held in place. "Pedophile!"

"More like an arctophile."

"I thought we had just established that I'm not a teddy bear."

"Close enough. Besides, I don't like little kids. You're more like a midget anyway, and you're older than I am. Albeit by only forty-eight days, but you're still older."

"I am?" Conan asked, twisting in Kaito's arms so that he was facing the thief. He tried looking the other in the face but ended up with his nose pressed against Kaito's chest. His shirt smelled clean like laundry detergent. Unconsciously his hand crept up to lightly trace where he knew Kid's bullet wound lay.

The touch caused Kaito to shudder. Kaito squeezed Conan to him, trapping Conan's hand between their bodies. Conan muttered an apology, while his mind thought the word, "Proof."

"Autassassinophile," Conan whispered.

"You're the autassassinophile."

"Am not! I don't get off on nearly getting killed. Trouble just...finds me," Conan argued. Kaito raised his hand and gently ran it along Conan's neck, remembering the bruises he'd seen there when he'd been playacting as a psychologist. It was what caused him to train Holmes and Watson to watch out for the Meitantei.

"Autopedophile," Conan concluded.

"But I'm not imagining you being a kid. You are one."

"Look who's talking."

"I am the Kid."

"Is that a confession?"

"Did you say something, Shinichi-kun~?"

"Kleptophile."

"What's with all the -ophile accusations? Go back to sleep. I'm tired."

The memory of Kaito waking up in a sweat from a nightmare caused Conan to wonder if Kid was in the five percent of people who had frequent nightmares. An older memory surfaced. When Kid had been shot and Conan had inquired about the sniper, Kid had said, "We all have our secrets, Tantei-kun."

It was strange how being wrapped in Kid's arms felt like being wrapped up in another secret. There was warmth there – and danger. Secrets could be dangerous but were usually meant to keep a person safe, even if that safety didn't last for long. Sometimes the secrets became deeper and deeper.

Buying into the fleeting security Kid's presence offered, Conan took a deep sigh, his breath evening out, deepening, and slowing as a peaceful sleep claimed the shrunken detective into a blissful oblivion.


	43. Arc Five: One Hundred Million Suspects

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

**Ekoda**

"Bocchama? Bocchama?" Jii called as he knocked on the door. He sighed though when there was no response from inside. _Is the young master going to be okay?_ Jii wondered, glancing down at the tray in his hands. He had just finished making dinner and brought it upstairs, hoping that the teen would eat something after being holed in his room all day. However, the lack of movement was worrisome.

_Maybe he's just asleep_, Jii thought, about to set the food aside and leave. He got as far as kneeling down when, suddenly, he heard a sound coming from inside- the sound of approaching footsteps.

After a brief pause, the door opened, revealing a rather disheveled-looking Kaito.

"What is it, Jii-chan?" the teen asked, sticking his head out the small opening of the doorway.

For a moment, Jii didn't respond, distracted by the interior of the teen's room. Looking past Kaito, Jii immediately noticed how dark the room appeared, with the lights off and all the blinds pulled shut. Moreover, pages of paper were littered across the floor, as were clothes and empty food wrappers, giving the room a wholly trashed appearance, an appearance which was reflected in Kaito himself.

Turning to the teen, Jii noticed just how out-of-sorts Kaito appeared to be. His brown hair was a mess, sticking out more than usual and curling at odd angles. There were also bags under his eyes, dark black rings surrounding blue irises, which themselves were dulled from over-contemplation. And the distinctive smell body odor didn't escape Jii's notice either. To Jii, Kaito had the appearance of a traveler who had journeyed far and seen too much.

_Just what happened during the heist?_ Jii wanted to ask. But he restrained himself, knowing that Kaito would talk when he was ready.

Jii turned his attention to the tray in his hands. "I made dinner. You must be hungry," he said, handing the food to Kaito.

"Thanks," Kaito said, giving Jii a smile as he received the tray. Jii wasn't sure though if he was looking at a genuine smile or a poker face; the young master had gotten so good at it lately.

_Well, maybe just a small nudge, _Jii thought as he turned to Kaito and said, "Aoko called today. She was wondering why you weren't in school again."

"I just have a lot on my mind," Kaito admitted cryptically. The rather somber expression on the teen's face told Jii that he wouldn't be able to push any further.

Relenting, Jii replied, "Okay. Well, let me know if you need anything."

"Hai," Kaito nodded, then in a much softer voice said, "Thank you, Jii-chan. Oyasumi."

Jii nodded and with that, Kaito swung the door, allowing it to shut with a click.

The light from the hallway gone, the room was once again thrown into darkness. Kaito paused for a moment, his back leaning against the door, eyes looking down on the tray of food Jii had made. Kaito had no doubt it tasted delicious, but he was in no mood to eat.

"Gomen, Jii-chan," Kaito mumbled as he moved to set the tray aside. The teen then turned to look at the door, for a moment wondering if Jii was still standing out there, worrying about him. After all, he had been wearing such a concerned expression. And Kaito didn't blame the man for worrying, given his strange behavior the past few days. Since the heist, he had missed four days of school, refused to eat anything resembling real food, and had barely set foot outside his room. That was the kind of behavior that would worry anyone. In fact, Kaito himself was worried. And the thing was, he knew exactly the cause of his worry. _That_.

Kaito reached for the drawer in his desk and pulled it open, revealing two guns that were lying side by side. One was his usual KID-gun, the one that shot poker cards. The other was a 45mm handgun, the one Conan had given him. After hesitating for a moment, Kaito reached a hand in and picked up the 45mm. The gun was much lighter than it normally would be, given that there were no bullets inside. Kaito had placed the ammunition in a separate location as, though he knew a gun wouldn't fire with its safety still on, he felt more at ease with the gun unloaded.

Holding the gun up, Kaito couldn't help but turn back to the door, wishing that he could tell Jii about the root of his problems. Not only would it alleviate the man's concern, but he would feel better as well. It was only a fleeting desire, however, as Kaito quickly shook his head.

"No, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," he said. _That's right, I promised Tantei-kun, _Kaito thought, his gaze returning to the gun in his hand.

While it was true that the gun was lighter than it normally would be, it still felt heavy, physically and symbolically. Kaito felt the weight of the metal, but also the weight of what was being asked of him. _Tantei-kun had asked me to…_

Kaito let his thoughts trail off as he continued to stare at the gun. The _real_ gun. The real gun that shot _real_ bullets. "Where did he even get something like this?" Kaito wondered, turning the gun around in his hands. The word "Hawaii" caught his attention. "An American-made?" Kaito whistled. "Wait! Now's not the time to be impressed!"

Kaito sighed, walking over to his bed before he collapsed. As he lied down, staring at the gun he held above his head, Kaito's expression suddenly grew serious. "Why me, Tantei-kun?" he mumbled, the night of the heist flashing back in his mind...

_"KID, you sure took your sweet time. Now how about you return the gem you stole?"  
"I don't think you understand how this works, Tantei-kun. I don't just give you the gem because you ask nicely."  
"How about I ask with a soccer ball to the face then?"  
"Geh! You're so heartless."  
"The gem, KID."  
"Fine, fine. Here. You want me to turn myself in as well?"  
"That'd save us all a lot of trouble."  
"Ah? It was a joke, Tantei-kun. You're no fun."_

"That's right," Kaito mumbled, flipping the gun around in his hands. "If only the conversation had ended there…"

_"Well, this has been a blast. Until next time, Tantei-kun."  
"Wait. Before you go, there's something I wanted to ask."  
"What's that?"  
"I-I need a favor, Kuroba."_

"And that's when I should have known...it was the first hint that something was wrong. After all, we had agreed to a pact of silence. And for him to break that pact..."

_"Ha? Why is the great Kudo Shinichi asking his arch nemesis for a favor?"  
"Just hear me out."  
"Like I said-"  
"Kuroba, please..."_

"And that was the second hint, the word _please_. Why didn't I just turn away then? Why did I continue to listen, knowing that I'd be snared by his request? His expression, his voice, I knew deep down that I wouldn't be able to refuse. So why didn't I run? Why did I continue to listen to the Siren's song..."

_"Take this, Kuroba."  
"W-what?! Why are you giving me a gun?"  
"You'll need it."  
"Tant-, no wait, Kudo-kun, you can't seriously be asking me to use this."  
"I am. Kuroba, what's wrong?"  
"You know I only have one rule, right?"  
"Yes."  
"And you're asking me to break that one rule."  
"I am."  
"Why? Why me? Why not your Osakan friend? Or that scientist girl?"_

"'Because you're the only one who can do it'? What kind of cliché answer is that? Like something right out of a Shonen manga," Kaito mumbled, his hand dropping to the side. Kaito felt himself suddenly curl up, his body huddled around the 45mm handgun. "And the most incomprehensible of all," he whispered, "is your request..."

_"Kuroba, when the time comes, I need you, with that gun…to end my life."_

"I don't understand. No matter how many times I go over your reasoning, I don't understand. Why? Why would you ask that of me?" Kaito mumbled.

The bullet wound on his chest ached.

* * *

**? ? ? ? ?**

Etanoru was busy reading some reports when there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Boss?" a voice called. It was Mead.

"Come in," Etanoru commanded. He set the reports aside and leaned back in his chair, wondering what the scientist wanted. Mead made a prompt entrance.

"Boss, I think we may have a problem."

"Problem?" Etanoru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About Project Emergence," Mead said, choosing his words carefully, "It seems he's not...arriving at the lab as planned."

"And how long has this been occurring?"

"A-about a week," Mead said hesitantly.

"A week?" Etanoru repeated, obviously annoyed, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Mead could feel a bead of sweat roll down his face. He gulped before continuing, "We weren't certain it was a problem until now. Given the parameters of the hypnosis, we thought it might have been coincidence-"

"And you have reason now to believe that it's not?" Etanoru said, cutting the man off. Mead gave a quick nod. "And what reason would that be?"

"It seems that the subject is forcing himself to stay awake all night, hence nullifying the effects of the hypnosis," Mead explained.

"I see," Etanoru said, rubbing his chin. "Interesting, very interesting," he laughed.

"Boss, should we take action?" Mead asked, a little confused by Etanoru's reaction.

"No, leave him be," Etanoru replied.

"But then-"

"I said it's fine. I think his bravery is rather commendable. And besides, this way works as well."

"As you wish, Boss."

Etanoru laughed again. "Mead, do you want to see what a lion looks like?"

* * *

**Beika**

"Oyasumi, Conan-kun," Ran said as she headed to her room.

"Oyasumi nasai, Ran-neechan!" Conan chirped, closing the door to the room he and Kogoro shared. The mustached detective was already passed out on the bed, snoring after a night of heavy drinking. Conan took once glance over and sighed, jealous that the man could sleep so soundly without a care in the world.

Moving to the closet, Conan took out his futon and laid it on the floor. He then plopped himself down and pulled the covers up, closing his eyes as if to go to sleep. In truth, however, sleep was the last thing he planned to do. As per the last five days, Conan intended to stay awake all night, as part of his attempt to delay the BO.

After much thought, Conan had come to the conclusion that this was his only course of action, at least, until Akai returned. He realized that any overt resistance would be swiftly dealt with by the BO. When he had attempted to trace the BO headquarters, ten Japanese officers were ruthlessly blown to bits. Conan did not want to see that happen again. At the same time, he couldn't stand the thought of being idle and simply letting the BO have Their way. Hence his attempt at subtle resistance.

Conan reasoned that if he did not sleep at night, the hypnosis would not kick in. And if the hypnosis failed to bring him to the BO headquarters, then Their plans would be delayed. It was a method that would only work one day at a time, but it was still better than nothing. Moreover, it was a subtle method insofar as no one could prove he was doing it intentionally, with the goal of resisting. It could very well just be a case of insomnia.

_Of course, there's still a problem with this method…_Conan thought to himself. Namely, how patient were the BO willing to be? Even if the BO did not suspect him of resisting, Conan doubted They would continually delay Their plans. Sooner or later, They would take matters into Their own hands. The question was, would Akai return before the BO lost Their patience?

"Two more weeks," Conan mumbled to himself as he turned to look at the clock on the wall. It was a little past midnight, which meant that Ran was probably asleep. As silent as possible, Conan slipped out of his room and into the kitchen, making himself a cup of coffee to help stay awake for the night. As he sipped the bitter drink, he moved towards the window and peered outside into the night. A few blocks away, he could see the outline of a black car, the one that was meant to bring him to the BO headquarters. "They sure are persistent," Conan mumbled, wondering if he should stagger his plan. If he let himself be hypnotized and brought to the BO on occasion, that might satisfy Them enough to prevent Them from taking action, like constantly dropping ice cubes into a kettle to prevent it from boiling.

"That might be better after all," Conan mumbled, taking another gulp of the coffee. Though he hated to admit it, pulling five all-nighters had certainly taken its toll. He was exhausted, not only physically, but mentally as well. Moreover, or perhaps more importantly, people around him were beginning to notice. Ran wore a worried expression every time she saw him. Kobayashi-sensei had also given him another scolding for sleeping in class. And then there was Haibara.

Conan knew full well that Haibara suspected something was going on, though she had not asked him about it again since the morning of the apartment explosion. Still, he could tell from her eyes, which were constantly giving him less than friendly glances. And truth be told, Conan wanted to fill Haibara in on what was happening. He wanted to tell her about the BO's plans, Their use of hypnosis, and Emergence. Since his transformation into Edogawa Conan, Haibara had acted as a confidant, someone he could share his problems with, problems no one else could even fathom or understand. But in this particular case, he had to keep it a secret. In the first place, there was nothing Haibara could do, even if she knew. But more importantly, the BO were too close this time. They already had him in the palm of Their hands and there was no telling what They would do next, especially to the people he knew.

Conan didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

Perhaps that's why he had kept the whole thing a secret from Heiji as well. _The less people that know, the better._

At this point though, Conan couldn't help but laugh at the irony of his words. After all, such was his claim and yet he had decided to tell Kaitou KID of all people.

"No wait, Kaito Kuroba," Conan mumbled, still looking out the window. His gaze shifted upwards to the moon. "The Magician Under the Moonlight. The high school teenager, Kaito Kuroba."

Conan wondered if Kaito had been the right choice. He had several reasons, of course, for choosing the magician to be his "backup", the first being that the BO would likely not expect KID's involvement. Kaito also had…well…dubious morality, to say the least. All these reasons had prompted him to meet with the thief and give him the 45mm he had gotten from his father during their trip to Hawaii. And Kaito had taken the gun, albeit reluctantly. The question was though, when the time came, if the time came, would he be able to do it?

Would Kaito Kuroba be able to pull the trigger?

* * *

**Next Morning**

The morning found Conan napping on the couch, a copy of Kuroshitsuji covering his face. He had been reading the manga when he fell asleep, too tired to even set it aside properly- a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ran. The girl quickly came over and nudged him on the shoulder.

"Conan-kun, why are you sleeping here?" she asked, moving the manga volume to the table.

"Ohayou, Ran-neechan," Conan greeted with a yawn, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mou, were you up all night, Conan-kun?"

Conan just laughed nervously, his usual response when he didn't want to answer the question.

Ran sighed again. "Go wash up, okay?"

"Hai!" Conan chirped, running to the bathroom. Once inside, he picked up his toothbrush, about to brush his teeth, but not before he took a good look at himself in the mirror. In particular, he inspected his irises, which were at the moment their usual blue color. In fact, since he had started pulling all-nighters, they had not once turned violet. And while that was probably a good sign, Conan couldn't help but feel it was merely the calm before a larger storm.

Speaking of storms, just as the thought went through his head, Conan heard the front door burst open, followed by a loud yell. "Where is he?!" the voice demanded. Evidently, someone had _stormed _the agency.

Upon hearing the voice, Conan immediately recognized the source. "Hattori?!" he exclaimed, eyes opening wide. He almost choked on his toothpaste before quickly rinsing and rushing out of the bathroom. Sure enough, sitting on the couch was the Osakan.

"Yo, Ku-Ku-Conan! How's it been?"

Conan shot Kogoro a glance, wondering if he had noticed the slip up. The mustached detective, however, was lazily reading a newspaper, seemingly unaware of the morning ruckus.

Conan sighed. _When is he going to get it right?_ he wondered before putting on a cheerful face. "Heiji-niisan! What are you doing here?" Though Conan gave Heiji a wide smile, his tone was dripping with annoyance.

"I thought I'd visit my good friend," Heiji replied, either unaware of Conan's annoyance or was aware but just didn't care.

"Is that so?" Conan said, forcing a laugh.

"Yup," Heiji laughed in turn, perhaps simply to irk the boy.

"Ahaha."

"Haha."

Things quickly escalated and it wasn't long before the two of them were laughing like two idiots who'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Or perhaps they were trying to compete to see who could laugh the loudest. At any rate, it was befuddling to Kazuha, who had just walked into the agency with Ran.

The girl took one look at the laughing duo before raising an eyebrow and asking, "Are they alright?"

Ran just gave her a helpless shrug. "Probably?"

Noticing that Ran and Kazuha had returned, Conan quickly pulled Heiji into a separate room, saying, "Heiji-niisan, can I speak with you for a moment? In private?" Before the Osakan had a chance to protest, the two of them were already behind the closed doors of another room.

Reassured that they wouldn't be heard, Conan turned to Heiji and asked, "So, why are you here? A case?"

"Huh? Can't I visit my good friend Kudo just to have some fun?" Heiji remarked with a shrug.

"Ran called you here, didn't she?"

"Ya got it!" Heiji exclaimed, without an ounce of shame, "She said that ya been over-stressed lately and asked me, ya best-est friend to come and cheer ya up!"

"Ran called you my best-est friend?" Conan asked skeptically.

"I might have paraphrased a bit. But hey, don't sweat the details."

Conan just sighed. "Listen, Hattori, I'm kind of in the middle of something-" he said, or at least, tried to, before a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Conan-kun! Hattori-kun! Are you ready to go?" the voice asked. It was Ran.

"Go?" Conan asked, giving Hattori a puzzled look, "Where are we going?"

"Ya'll see," Heiji said, giving him a smirk.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ Conan thought. But before he had a chance to protest, Heiji was already busy pulling him out the door.

* * *

**Beika**

"Hey, don't look so grumpy," Heiji said, giving Conan a slap on the back. "Cheer up."

Conan just sighed, unable to keep up with the Osakan's pace. "So, where are we going?"

"Well, I figured I'd treat ya, as thanks for helpin' me out with the date," Heiji explained.

"So we're going to a restaurant?"

"Nope."

"Then I don't get it," Conan replied, wishing he was still back at the agency. The couch had been so inviting and it had seemed a perfect way to spend the weekend. Instead, however, he was being dragged across Beika for some mysterious activity.

They walked along a bit further before Heiji suddenly stopped. He turned, pointing to the building, and announced, "Ta-da!"

Conan looked up and noticed they were standing in front of an arcade. The neon lights and techno music indicated that the place was open for business. "Why are we-?" Conan tried to ask before Heiji once again pulled him along.

"Let's go!" Heiji cheered.

"W-wait!" Conan managed before being dragged inside.

* * *

**Arcade, Beika**

They played for about three hours, and spent way too much money (at least, Conan thought so), before finally exiting the arcade. And Conan had to admit, it turned out much better than he anticipated. Though there was just one thing that still bothered him.

"You were surprisingly good at the games, Hattori," Conan said as he and Heiji waited outside the arcade. Ran and Kazuha had gone to the bathroom.

"Jealous?" Heiji replied, "Ya didn't beat me a single time, did ya? Air hockey, racin', skeet ball, ring toss-"

"Okay, I get it," Conan grumbled, "What'd you do, practice for a week before this?"

"Two, actually."

"Oi, oi," Conan sighed, "You have a lot of free time, don't you?"

"Well, I guess," Heiji shrugged, "Truth be told, there haven't been many cases lately. Actually, that was the other reason I wanted to come to Tokyo."

"How's that?" Conan asked.

"We're both case magnets, right? With the two of us together, murder cases should just be falling out of the sky."

As if on cue, a sudden scream could be heard from above. Conan and Heiji quickly looked up, just in time to see a body fall from the building overhead, hitting the pavement with a grotesque _squash_ sound. Instantly, nearby onlookers began panicking.

"Falling from the sky? You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you, Hattori?" Conan sighed.

* * *

******Arcade, **Beika

"Megure-keibu," Takagi reported, "the deceased is Kozu Saori, age 30. According to witnesses, she was on the observational deck making a phone call when she suddenly jumped off the building."

"Suicide?" Megure asked.

"It's possible, though witnesses say she didn't look like a person about to commit suicide. We haven't found a suicide note either."

"I see."

"Megure-keibu," one of the forensic technicians called, "look at this." The tech handed Megure a piece of paper he had pulled from the deceased woman's pocket.

"A flyer?" Megure wondered, reading the page out loud, "Adrenaline Call. Want the thrill of a lifetime? How much are you willing to trust complete strangers? Find out by registering online for the latest in thrill experience." Megure put the flyer down and then turned to Takagi. "What the heck is this all about?" he asked.

Before Takagi had a chance to answer, Heiji interrupted. "Oh, I've heard of that," he said, pointing to the flyer.

"And you are?" Megure asked, annoyed that a civilian had intruded on his crime scene.

"Hattori Heiji. I've worked a couple of cases with ya and Conan-kun," Heiji replied, pointing to Conan, who at the moment was busy inspecting the dead body.

"Ah-ha," Megure said unenthusiastically. He was clearly not surprised that the two detectives managed to make their way onto the scene of a crime. "So, what do you know about this flyer?"

"It's an online group," Heiji explained, "Basically, it's a game of follow the leader.

"Follow the leader?" Megure asked.

"Right. The leader and the follower are randomly paired up. Then, each is sent a disposable cellphone. The leader has the follower's number, but the follower has no way to contact the leader. Once the leader makes contact, the follower is supposed to listened to all the leader's instructions and carry them out. Hence, it's similar to the game of follow the leader."

"I see," Megure said, "And what does that have to do with her death?"

"Ah, about that-" Heiji said, scratching his head. Truth be told, he hadn't gotten that far in his deduction yet. Fortunately, Conan intervened.

"It's Kozu-san's sunglasses, Megure-keibu," Conan chirped as he ran over. In his hands were a pair of generic looking sunglasses. "I found them lying on the ground over there."

"How do you know they belonged to Kozu-san?" Megure asked.

"If you look at Kozu-san's face, you can tell she was wearing some kind of glasses. There are marks, right? But she didn't have any glasses on when you first found her. That means they must have fallen off. And if you look at these glasses, they have a crack on them, right? Like they fell from a tall building?"

"I-I guess so," Megure admitted, "So, what's important about the sunglasses, Conan-kun?"

"Try looking through them," Conan said, handing them over to the inspector.

Megure lifted them in front of his eyes, but then suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"You see? They're completely opaque!" Conan said.

"That's true-" Megure began.

"I get it now!" Heiji suddenly exclaimed. "If she was wearin' these before her death, then she wouldn't have known she was about to die."

"Exactly," Conan smirked.

"Uh, I still don't quite understand," Megure said, giving Takagi a look. Takagi just shrugged in reply.

"If we rule out suicide based on witness testimony, then it's likely she jumped without expectin' to die, right?" Heiji asked.

"But wouldn't that be common sense?" Takagi countered.

"The leader," Conan explained.

"Leader?"

"That's right. If the leader instructed her to jump, and reassured her that she'd be okay, then she'd do it, even if she couldn't see through the sunglasses," Heiji explained.

"W-wait. Even if someone told me that, I wouldn't jump," Takagi said.

"Chances are that the leader has been buildin' trust with Kozu-san," Heiji continued, "They probably started off with small things like navigatin' through a parking lot. Once the leader gained Kozu-san's trust, they moved on to more dangerous things, like crossin' the street during busy traffic and ultimately, jumpin' off a building. I'm sure the leader said somethin' along the lines of, 'jump, there will be a net to catch ya.'"

"Still…" Megure said, obviously skeptically.

"It'd be even more likely given that she was a thrill seeker. Remember the flyer? People who participate want to experience thrills and dangers," Heiji reminded.

"So, Kozu-san was killed by this 'leader'?" Takagi asked.

"Most likely. But that also poses its own problem," Heiji said.

"Why's that?"

"Anyone can sign up for the online group. People are also paired randomly," Heiji said.

"Which means-?" asked Takagi.

"The leader could be any one of Japan's one hundred million Internet users," Heiji said.

_Right, _Conan thought silently, agreeing with Heiji's deduction. _This is the case of one hundred million suspects._

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

New murder case, yay! As for the solution to the previous KID heist, the location is BEIKA UNIVERSITY. If you solve the tic tac toe game, you'll find that the way to win is for X to go in the top left corner. Looking at a map of Beika, this corresponds to Beika University. Also, the word "class" in the heist notice was meant to be a hint.

Secondly, I suppose the previous chapter was a tad more cryptic than I intended it to be. Basically, it's the story of Vermouth, Gin, and Naku's childhood:

Vermouth = Pinky  
Gin = Blinky  
Naku = Inky

Pinky, Blinky, Inky being the ghosts from PacMan.

Last thing, the idea for the chapter. I remember someone telling me a while back that it was boring to have only three suspects all the time. So here's a case with one hundred million suspects. Ha!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	44. Arc Five: The Adrenaline Call Murder

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

_"Y-you're kidding, right? I mean, I always knew you had a bad sense of humor, Kudo-kun but...isn't this going a bit too far?"  
__"I'm not joking. That gun, you know how to use it, right?"  
__"Don't screw with me-"  
__"What's that?"  
__"45mm. Eight round cartridge size. Average bullet velocity of 350 meters per second-"  
__"I don't understand-"  
__"No! I don't understand! Why are you giving me this, Kudo-kun?"  
__"I told you-"  
__"Shut up! You want me to shoot you? Do you even know what you're saying?! If I do that, you'll be dead. D-E-A-D, DEAD!"  
__"I know that...but there's no other choice..."  
__"Snap out of it! I don't know what's going on with you right now, but the Kudo-kun I know would never come to me with such a bullshit request!"  
"Kuroba, if I don't do this, more people will get hurt-"_

"Makeru! Makeru!" the machine announced, the words "You lose" flashing across the screen. Kaito, completely absorbed in his thoughts, had to blink a few times before his eyes focused. He looked up, just in time to see the high score table scroll by.

"I lost, huh," Kaito mumbled, though there was not a shred of interest in his voice.

Jii had suggested that he get out of the house, to clear his head, and Kaito had relented, if only to lessen Jii's worry. But no matter where he was, Kaito couldn't help but feel distracted, lost in the sea of uncertainty. After all, how was he supposed to feel? How was he supposed to think? He had never killed anyone before, despite all the thefts he had committed. That had been his golden rule: no one gets hurt. But now, he was asked to throw his rule aside, and by Conan of all people.

Conan was asking to be shot, asking to be killed.

_I can't do it,_ Kaito determined, realizing that it wasn't so much the dubious morality of murder which bothered him; he could overlook the breaking of his golden rule. What Kaito questioned was what his world would become, without Conan. Without Conan's biting remarks and brilliant mind, would the world become a dreary shade of grey? Would it become a monotonous series of pointless heists, laced only with gun-waving men dressed in black? It was stupid, Kaito realized, that the prospect of murder scared him less than a world without Conan. And yet, it was a feeling he just couldn't seem to shake.

_A world without Kudo-kun,_ Kaito silently thought, his mind recalling what Conan had told him, about hypnosis and emergence. _Or a world with Kudo-kun._ _  
_

What would the world be like, with Conan?

Kaito looked up at the screen; it was still flashing neon colors. "I lost, huh," he mumbled again, certainly feeling the weight of those words. Then furiously scratching his head, Kaito mumbled, "What the hell is with this hypnosis and emergence anyways?"

With a sigh, Kaito inserted some coins into the machine, loading up another round of the game. He then reached for the plastic gun, the one that would let him shoot all the zombies that appeared on screen. _Even if it's Kudo-kun asking me, __can I do it?_ Kaito thought, _Or rather, because it's Kudo-kun asking me, can I do it?_

Kaito straightened his arm, holding the gun firmly in front of him. He heard the game countdown- three, two, one- before zombies suddenly started appearing. Kaito closed one eye, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

"Headshot!" the machine announced as a zombie exploded into a rain of blood and gore. "Headshot! Headshot! Headshot!"

_I want to help Kudo-kun. So I need to shoot._

"Headshot!"

_But I want to help Kudo-kun. So I can't shoot._

"Headshot!"

_A world without Kudo-kun...is unimaginable..._

"Game end! Perfect score!" the machine announced, pulling Kaito's attention back to reality. Kaito's eyes focused on the screen, where his score had appeared on the top of the high score table. The question certainly wasn't whether he could hit the target. The question was, when the time came, if it came, would he have the _will_ to hit the target.

_What is this feeling..._Kaito wondered, putting his hand over his chest. His heart was beating much faster than normal. _Is this-?_

Just then, a yell caught Kaito's attention. Kaito put the plastic gun away and peeked over the edge of his machine, finding the air hockey table beyond. He gasped when he noticed who was yelling.

"Kudo-kun and his Osakan friend?! What are they doing here?!" Kaito wondered, quickly pulling his head back to avoid being seen. He could still hear the shouts though, something about the Osakan cheating by being too tall. Kaito had to suppress a laugh.

"You're rather ridiculous, Kudo-kun," Kaito mumbled before the smile dropped from his face. _Right, rather ridiculous...to ask someone to shoot you._

Just then, an image of Conan's disapproving face appeared in Kaito's mind, as if to ask why he was being so out of character. Kaito could almost hear Conan's voice ringing in his ears, the snappy, yet hilarious, remarks that he had grown so accustom to. Kaito felt his mood shifting. "That's right, I'm supposed to be the character that looks danger in the eye and laughs with a fearless grin," Kaito mumbled, "I'm supposed to be the one-dimensional comic relief character that occasionally acts as the antithesis for the hero."

Kaito slapped himself in the face, a laugh escaping from his mouth. "What am I doing, acting like some depressed girl from a teenage melodrama?" Kaito felt himself laugh even harder, as if he was subconsciously trying to wash away all his worries.

"That's right," Kaito said when he finally calmed down, "Nothing's been decided yet. I can still change his mind. I can still show him there's another way." What the alternative was, Kaito didn't know yet. But he was sure one existed. He would definitely find it and show it to Conan, for both their sakes. _Kudo-kun, I won't just let you have your way! I'll wait for my chance and talk to you. I'll convince you to change your mind._

"Yosh!" Kaito said, pumping himself up.

Just then, a loud crash could be heard from outside, followed by the sound of people screaming. Kaito looked up, wondering if something had happened. That's when he noticed that Conan and Hattori had disappeared.

"A case?" Kaito mumbled.

* * *

"One million suspects?!" Megure exclaimed. He scratched his head apprehensively. After all, if there were indeed that many suspects, how would they ever find the criminal?

"Ma ma, calm down," Heiji replied with a shrug, "Ya can't always expect there to be exactly three suspects. Life isn't a detective manga, ya know. But there are obvious ways to narrow da list down."

"Really?" Megure asked.

"Yup. Ya just apply da three cornerstones of murder- motive, means, and opportunity. Ne, ya found her phone, right?" Heiji asked, directing his question at one of the forensic techs.

"Hai," the tech nodded, retrieving an evidence bag and handing it over, "Here. She had two on her."

Heiji took both phones out of the bag and inspected each in turn. "As I suspected, ya have da criminal's number," he said, pointing to one of the phones.

"But didn't you say it was anonymous?" Takagi asked.

"True, but ya can trace da phone with dis number. If it has a GPS signal, ya can even pinpoint its exact location," Heiji explained.

"You, get on it," Megure said, handing the phone over to a nearby officer. The officer nodded and scurried off to investigate.

"We should also request the IP addresses of everyone who signed up for da site," Heiji suggested.

"IP address?" Megure asked.

"It's like an online ID card," Takagi chimed in.

"Exactly," Heiji confirmed, "Even though it might take a while, if we can match da IP address to da ISP, then we can track down each individual who signed up for da site. Although it'd be much better if we had specific people to look for, at least it's a startin' point."

"Uh-huh," Megure said, scratching his head. He leaned over to Takagi and asked, "Did you understand any of that?"

"Somewhat," Takagi laughed, "Anyways, I'll see what I can do about the IP addresses." With that, Takagi left the scene.

Once Takagi was gone, Megure gathered the remaining officers. "Ahem," he coughed, trying to regain control of his own investigation, "In the meantime, we should question all the witnesses and see if they saw anyone suspicious."

"Hai," the officers replied, running off to carry out the task.

"Ne, Megure-keibu, we should also go visit the victim's husband," Conan suggested. He pointed to the woman's finger, "She has a wedding ring, right? That means she's married. Her husband might know something."

"Wakata," Megure nodded, "Let's pay the husband a visit."

* * *

"Hey, ya okay?" Heiji asked, noticing that Conan was staring out the car window.

"Eh?" Conan remarked as he turned his head around. "I'm fine, why?"

"Ya look distracted," Heiji said, eyeing Conan carefully.

"A-ah," Conan managed, turning away, "It's just, did you get the sense that someone was watching us at the crime scene?"

"Watching us?" Heiji said, scratching his head, "No, not particularly."

"Oh, I see," Conan said. _Maybe the lack of sleep is really getting to me._

Just then, Megure interrupted his thoughts. "We're here," he said, parking the car by the side of the street. Conan, Heiji, and Megure got out together and walked up the stairs to the apartment where the husband lived. "Listen, he'll probably be in shock when he hears the news. Let me do the talking, okay?" Megure said.

"Hai!" Conan and Heiji replied.

Megure groaned, wondering how the two detectives had managed to convince him to bring them along. He lifted his hand and pressed the doorbell. There was a pause before it opened, revealing a middle-aged man.

"Hello, can I help you?" the man asked.

"Megure-keibu, I'm with the police," Megure introduced, holding out his badge.

"Police? Did something happen?" the man asked.

"Kozu-san, I think it's better if we speak inside," Megure replied. Kozu looked at the three of them for a moment before nodding his head and letting them in.

"Please, take a seat," Kozu gestured.

"Thank you," Megure continued, "Kozu-san, it's about your wife."

"Saori?" Kozu asked.

"She's dead," Megure said, breaking the news as gently as he could.

"I'm sorry?" Kozu asked, not quite sure he had heard correctly.

"She's been murdered," Megure elaborated.

Immediately, Kozu started twitching. "W-what are you saying? Saori's dead? She can't be dead. She was just here this morning. She-"

"I'm sorry, Kozu-san," Megure interrupted, his words causing Kozu to break down in tears.

Conan and Heiji looked on silently, familiar with the situation. They knew there was nothing they could say at the moment. They could only patiently share the man's grief and wait until he composed himself.

_His world's crumbling,_ Conan thought. _Everything he knows has changed. In the blink of an eye, he will never be the same again. _Looking at the man's tears, Conan had to wonder, _What would Ran do, if I died? Would she mourn my death as well?_

Conan's thoughts were broken by the sound of Kozu's voice. He had wiped away his tears and struggled to sit upright in the chair. "D-do you know who did it? Do you know who killed Saori?" he asked. From the corner of his eye, Conan noticed that Kozu's hand had balled up into a fist.

_That's right. After the initial shock is the anger. This is also part of the cycle of grieving, _Conan thought to himself.

Megure shook his head. "Not yet. We were hoping you might be able to provide some clues."

"Clues? Me?" Kozu asked.

"Did Kozu-san have any enemies? Anyone dat might want ta hurt her?" Heiji chimed in.

Kozu thought for a moment but then shook his head. "No, everyone loved Saori. I can't imagine anyone who'd want to hurt her."

"Did Kozu-san seem more nervous than usual? Was she worried about anythin'?" Heiji pressed.

Kozu began to shake his head again, but then paused. "Wait, there was something," he said slowly. "She mentioned something about a stalker."

"Stalker?" Conan and Heiji asked in unison.

"Saori thought someone was following her around. She told the police about it but because nothing had happened, the police said there was nothing they could do. Do you think the stalker's responsible?" Kozu asked.

"It's possible. Did Kozu-san tell you what he looked like?" Megure asked.

Kozu shook his head. "She said she didn't get a good look at him," he said, with a sigh, "So in the end, we still have nothing."

"Don't say that," Megure replied, "You've been a great help." Meugre stood up and pulled a card out of his pocket. "If you can think of anything else, give us a call, alright?"

"Hai," Kozu said, walking the three of them to the door.

Just before they left, Heiji stuck in one last question, "Ah, by the way, Kozu-san, have you ever heard of _Adrenaline Call_?"

Instantly, Kozu's hand began to shake as it gripped the doorknob, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Conan and Heiji. There was a brief pause before Kozu replied. "No. I've never heard of it before," he said. He then closed the door.

_What was with that hesitation?_ Conan wondered. He looked over at Heiji and realized Heiji had thought the same thing.

As they were walking back to the car, Heiji leaned over and whispered, "Ya think he's tellin' da truth about da stalker?"

"Too early to say," Conan replied, "But I think Kozu-san knows more than he's letting on."

Heiji nodded, "I agree. Still, we need more pieces of da puzzle." Then looking over to Megure, he said, "Ne, Keibu, there's somewhere else I'd like ya to take us."

"Ha?" Megure asked, wondering when his title had been changed from inspector to chauffeur.

* * *

"Ohira Oda?" Megure asked as the car pulled to a stop at the red light, "Who's that?"

"Da victim's ex-boyfriend," Heiji replied.

"Eh? How do you know that?"

"When I was lookin' at her phone before, his name was tagged as ex-boyfriend in da contacts list."

"Ah, sou," Megure replied.

"And then I looked up his address in da phone book."

"You think he knows anything?" Megure asked.

"Hard to say, but it's worth a try, ne, Conan-kun?" Heiji asked, turning to Conan who was again looking out the car window.

"Huh?" Conan replied, obviously not following the conversation.

"Oi, ya spacin' out on me again," Heiji complained.

"Wari," Conan apologized, looking distracted.

"Ya still think we're bein' watched?" Heiji leaned over and whispered.

Conan nodded. "I can't seem to escape the feeling," he admitted.

"Ya think it might be da Black Organization?"

"No, it's different," Conan said, shaking his head. _What's with this strangely familiar presence? _he thought silently.

"Well, it must be someone with a lot of free time, to follow us around Tokyo," Heiji shrugged, breaking Conan out of his thoughts.

"Un, I guess you're right," Conan nodded, returning his attention back outside.

* * *

"334, right?" Megure asked, confirming the house number. Heiji nodded, and Megure rang the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard coming from inside before the door opened. A disheveled looking man in his early thirties greeted them.

"Can I help ya?" he asked.

"Ah, I'm Megure-keibu, with the Tokyo police. Are you Ohira Oda?"

"That's me, what d'ya want?" Oda asked, evidently having just woken up from a nap.

"I want to speak to you about your ex-girlfriend, Kozu Saori."

"Saori? That was years ago. I don't think I can help ya, sorry," Oda replied, about to close the door.

"She's dead," Megure quickly said, causing the door to halt in mid-swing.

"She's what?!" Oda exclaimed, eyes opening wide.

"Please, can we speak inside?" Megure asked.

Oda gestured for them to come in, leading them to the living room to sit down. "Saori's dead?" Oda asked, collapsing down on a nearby chair, "What happened?"

"She was murdered," Megure answered.

"M-murdered?!" Oda exclaimed. Then looking at the three of them, he quickly added, "Just for the record, I didn't have anything to do with her death!"

"We didn't say ya did," Heiji said, giving Oda a curious look.

"O-oh, right," Oda quickly mumbled. "So, what are you here for then?" he asked. Conan realized that the man was clearly on edge about something.

_Is he somehow responsible?_ Conan wondered. "We heard from her husband that she might have been stalked," Conan explained.

Oda's eyes opened wide at that, "S-stalked? I don't know anything about that!"

"Uh-huh," Megure said, looking at Oda suspiciously, "Maybe you were following her because she broke up with you?"

"W-what?! That was years ago!" Oda protested, "Besides, I have a girlfriend now."

"Ise Ono, right?" Conan asked.

"H-how did you know that, kid?" Oda asked in surprise.

"Some of the magazines lying on the table," Conan said, pointing a finger, "they have her name on it. She's the one that subscribed to them, right?"

"Hai," Oda confirmed.

"Ise Ono?" Heiji mumbled, "Now why does that name sound familiar?" Heiji tapped his chin a few times before a light bulb went off. "Ah! That's da victim's best friend!"

"Eh?!" Megure exclaimed.

"Yup. I remember now seein' that name tagged in the victim's phone as best friend," Heiji said. He then turned to Oda and gave him a snide grin, "That's pretty underhanded, datin' ya ex-girlfriend's best friend. Exactly like somethin' that a stalker would do."

_Hattori, are you really criticizing someone else's dating practices?_ Conan mused, suppressing a laugh.

"W-wait, it's not like that!" Oda protested, "You can ask her yourself! I'm not the stalker!"

"Well, shall we pay Ise Ono a visit then?" Heiji asked.

* * *

"Megure-keibu, ya kept some officers in front of Ohira-san's apartment, right?" Heiji asked.

"Yes, he might be the criminal after all," Megure replied, pressing the doorbell to Ise Ono's apartment. There was a pause before the door opened. A man in his late fifties greeted them.

"Hello, I'm Megure-keibu, with the Tokyo police," Megure repeated for the third time that day, "Can I speak to Ise Ono?"

"Ono-chan? What is this about?" the man asked.

"Chan?" Conan and Heiji said in unison.

"Ah, sorry, I'm her father, Ise Kinji," the man introduced. Then eyeing Conan and Heiji, he asked, "Keibu, these two-"

"We're here to observe for a school project," Conan chirped happily.

"Oh, uh, I see. Well, please, come in," Kinji said, showing them to the living room. Once they sat down, Kinji pulled out a bag from his pocket. "Do you two boys want some snacks?" he asked, offering what appeared to be fried sardines.

"Uh, we're fine," Conan and Heiji replied, looking at the sardines warily.

Kinji shrugged, putting the bag back into his pocket. He then turned to the bedrooms and yelled, "Ono-chan, some people are here to see you." There was a pause before a woman finally came out.

"Who is it, Otousan?" Ono asked, having apparently just finished showering. She was busy tying her hair back in a ponytail.

"Ise Ono?" Megure greeted, "I'm from the Tokyo police department. I'm afraid I have some bad news about your friend, Kozu Saori."

"Saori-chan?" Ono asked.

"Hai. She's dead," Megure said softly.

"W-what?!" Ono exclaimed, collapsing onto a nearby sofa.

"Ono-chan!" Kinji said, moving swiftly to her side to brace his daughter. Ono was breaking out into tears; giant drops rolled down her face, messing up the mascara she had just applied. The room was quiet, save for Ono's crying.

After a while, she finally seemed to calm down. "D-do you know who did it?" she asked meekly, wiping the tears from her face.

Megure shook his head. "We were hoping you'd be of some help."

"Anything," Ono said.

Just then, Conan noticed a movement from the corner of his eye. Looking over, he noticed that Kinji had stood up. "Ono-chan, I'll go get you something to drink," Kinji said, walking off towards the kitchen.

Ono nodded and then returned her attention to Megure, who began his questioning. "Ohira Oda, do you know him?" Megure asked.

"Oda-kun? Yes, he's my boyfriend," Ono replied.

"I see," Megure said, "And do you think he might have been stalking Kozu-san?"

"Stalking?" Ono repeated, a thoughtful expression on her face,"It's true that Saori-chan did mention something about a stalker. But it's definitely not Oda-kun."

_Definitely not?_ "Does that mean you know who the stalker is?" Conan asked.

"Hai," Ono nodded, surprising everyone in the room, "I caught him following Saori-chan once and I told him to beat it or I'd call the cops."

"D'ya have a name?" Heiji asked.

* * *

"It's getting pretty late, huh?" Heiji remarked, looking at his watch. The time was eight in the evening. "Ya think he's home?"

"The light's on, so he should be," Conan noted.

Megure tried knocked on the door again. "Nakao Soshu, this is the Tokyo police. Open up," he said.

There was a delay before the door was finally opened by a man in his late forties. "What's with the ruckus?" the man asked, adjusting his glasses. He looked at each of the three strangers warily, letting his gaze settle of Megure.

"We need to talk to you about Kozu Saori," Megure said, "May we come inside?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Soshu recounted, "Kozu Saori was murdered and you think her stalker did it. You also think that I'm her stalker because her best friend told you."

"That's right," Megure replied.

"Ridiculous," Soshu said, "Do you have any proof?"

"Ise Ono said-"

"Hearsay!" Soshu interrupted. "And to begin with, I'm a respected journalist. Why would I stalk a random woman?"

"Or ya can think of it like this. Since ya a journalist, ya can easily use ya job as an excuse to follow someone, claimin' to be gettin' news coverage," Heiji said.

"Ha? Are you accusing me of something, kid?" Soshu snapped angrily.

"Ma ma, let's all calm down," Megure said, trying to prevent the situation from escalating further.

While the argument was distracting Soshu, Conan took the opportunity to snoop around the apartment. Almost immediately, he stumbled upon what appeared to be a photo, sticking partially out of a nearby drawer. "Ne, what's this?" Conan asked, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"A-ah, don't touch that!" Soshu exclaimed, jumping up to stop Conan.

"Whoops, too late," Conan said innocently as he tugged the photo out of the drawer. "Eh? Okashii...this place looks familiar," Conan said, waving the photo around.

"Let me see that, Conan-kun," Megure said, taking the picture from Conan's hands. "You're right! This is the crime scene!"

"I can explain!" Soshu said, trying to keep the situation under control.

"I hope ya not gonna say ya just happened to pass by with a high definition camera," Heiji remarked.

"I-" Soshu began, "That is...Someone told me to be there."

"Ha? Someone?" Heiji said, looking at Soshu suspiciously, "Don't ya mean ya were there 'cause ya were the criminal?"

"I'm not! This is a setup!" Soshu protested, throwing a fit.

"Really?" Megure asked doubtfully.

While Megure and Soshu were busy keeping each other occupied, Conan moved back to the drawer where the picture had come from. He opened it fully, only to discover that there were actually stacks of photos inside, all of the crime scene.

Just then, Conan was hit by a sudden realization. _This is-!_

"Ne, Hattori," Conan whispered, handing Heiji the pictures he had found, "Take a look at these."

Heiji flipped through the photos before turning back to Conan. "There's somethin' wrong with these photos, Kudo," whispered Heiji.

"Right?" Conan agreed. The photos were all of the crime scene, after Saori had jumped and died. "There aren't any of the moment she jumped."

"If Nakao-san really wanted to take pictures, and he was the criminal, he'd want to take pictures of the entire process," Heiji said, voicing Conan's own thoughts.

"Exactly, and then there's the weird actions of a certain someone from before," Conan added. He turned over to Heiji, who was giving him a wide grin.

"Are ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Kudo?" Heiji asked. The grin on Conan's face was the reply. The two detectives returned their attention back to Soshu and Megure, who were still arguing with each other.

"I told you, I didn't do it!" Soshu exclaimed. Before Megure could get in another sentence, Heiji suddenly interrupted.

"Megure-keibu, we've solved the case," he announced, to the surprise of both of the men.

"Eh?! You know who the culprit is?" Megure exclaimed.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Sorry for the long delay! Was distracted by other things. On the plus side, only 5 more chapters until the end of this part! Woot!

Can you figure out who the criminal is? Leave the answer in a review! Hint: there's a reason to the repetitious nature of this chapter. Repetition breeds complacency, which makes it easy to forget obvious details ;)

Cheers!


	45. Arc Five: The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

"Ah, I see. Mhm. Wakata. Okay. Thanks. Ja ne," Megure said. He hung up the phone, then turned to Heiji and Conan. "That was Takagi-kun. He said that the phone the culprit used has been tracked using GPS. It was apparently tossed into the dumpster of a nearby restaurant."

"Were there any fingerprints on da phone?" Heiji asked.

Megure shook his head. "The phone was clean."

"I see," Heiji said, "I guess da culprit was more careful than I thought. What about da IP addresses? Any luck there?"

"I had some techs look into the IP address of a 'certain' someone, to see if it matched with any of the IP addresses we got from the Adrenaline Call website," Megure began.

"And?" Heiji asked.

Megure shook his head again.

"Ah-cha," Heiji said, scratching his head, "Without any solid evidence, we can't even make an arrest."

"Hmph, don't underestimate the Tokyo Police Force," Megure said, giving Heiji a smug grin.

"Ya mean ya found somethin'?" Heiji asked excitedly.

"Of course! In the first place, I'll give you that you detectives do some impressive work, but when it comes down to it, the Tokyo Police are a longstanding-"

"So, what d'ya find?" Heiji interrupted.

"Ahem," Megure coughed, trying to hide his annoyance, "Well, following your suggestion to search the local internet cafe's with matching IP addresses-"

"Wait a minute. If ya used my idea, then why ya praising the Tokyo Police Force?" Heiji pointed out.

"-we found an ID match on one of the surveillance cameras," Megure finished, completely ignoring Heiji's comment, "That was enough probably cause to get a warrant."

"I see," Heiji said with a shrug, letting the matter slide. He then turned to Conan, who had been silent the entire time. "Shall we go?"

The question caught Conan's attention, causing him to looked up. A weary expression could be seen in his eyes as he nodded in assent. Then without another word, he got into the backseat of the car.

Heiji paused for a moment, looking curiously at Conan. _Nee-chan's right. Somethin's definitely off, _he thought. But without a firm grasp of the situation, Heiji felt powerless at the moment to do anything about it. _I'll talk with him when da case is over, _he decided before likewise getting into the car.

* * *

"Mead, what brings you here at this hour?" Etanoru asked. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was nearly nine at night.

"Boss, are you sure it's alright to keep letting the subject delay like this?" Mead asked, "At this rate, we might end up with regression."

"Not likely," Etanoru replied, shaking his head, "In fact, it's the opposite that will happen."

"You mean further emergence?"

"Exactly."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Mead, do you know what happens to a starved lion?" Etanoru asked, catching Mead by surprise.

"No," Mead replied. He wasn't sure what Etanoru was getting at.

Instead of clarifying himself, Etanoru just laughed. "Here's a more rational answer then. He's been short on sleep for a week, correct?" Mead nodded his head. "At this stage, how much effort do you think is required to keep the emergence process in check?"

"I see," Mead said as if a sudden light bulb turned on. "If he exhausting himself-"

"Precisely. The optimal outcome can be achieved without us lifting a finger," Etanoru finished. "In fact, if my calculations are correct, the lion should be emerging from its cage soon."

A smile could be seen creeping onto Etanoru's face.

* * *

"Eto, it's not that I don't believe you- I mean, the evidence is pretty clear- but could you explain how you knew who the criminal was?" Megure asked. He was tempted to turn his head to face Heiji, who was sitting in the passenger seat, but resisted, instead keeping his eyes focused on the road. When there was no response, Megure tried again, "Hattori-kun?"

Upon hearing his name being called, Heiji looked up. "Ah, sorry, what were ya sayin'?" he asked.

"How did you know the culprit was Ise Ono?" Megure repeated.

"Oh, that," Heiji began before turning towards the backseat and shooting Conan a quickly glance, wondering if Conan wanted to contribute to the deduction. Conan was busy staring out the car window though, evidently having no intention of participating. Realizing that he'd be going solo, Heiji returned his attention to the front of the car. "There were two hints," Heiji explained, "Da first is that she said somethin' weird when we visited her."

"Weird?"

"She asked about da criminal, remember?"

"Why is that weird?" Megure asked, not quite following.

"Think about it. How did she know it was a murder and that there was a criminal? At the time, all ya said was that her friend was dead. Ya never mentioned whether it was a suicide or murder or what. Ya probably didn't notice since she was the third person ya explained the situation to. But it was really odd for her to assume it was murder. That is, unless she already knew beforehand," Heiji explained.

"And the only person who would know beforehand would be the murderer. I see," Megure said, "But if we're on the subject of weird behavior, wasn't the husband acting strange too? Especially when you mentioned Adrenaline Call."

"I think he was probably blamin' himself. He must have known about his wife's tendency to do dangerous things. Yet he wasn't able to stop her. That must have hit him really hard," Heiji said, a somber expression on his face.

The car grew silent for a moment before Megure finally continued.

"And what's the second hint that Ise Ono is the culprit?"

"She knew the identity of da stalker," Heiji replied, "She probably thought it would throw us off her scent but it was really a careless mistake on her part. After all, if she knew da identity of da stalker, why didn't she report it to the police? And why didn't she tell her best friend, Kozu-san, who at that point would tell her husband. Da only conclusion is that Ise Ono set up Nakao-san by tellin' him about the death beforehand, knowin' that Nakao-san wouldn't be able to resist, bein' a news reporter. And then all she had to do was point us in Nakao-san's direction and we'd naturally conclude that he was the criminal."

"Ah, that make sense," Megure said as the car continued to cruise along the empty road.

Suddenly, Conan spoke, surprising Megure and Heiji, who both had forgotten Conan was there. "It's the next left, Megure-keibu," he said.

"A-ah, thanks, Conan-kun," Megure replied, turning the car into the apartment complex.

Heiji looked back and noticed that Conan appeared a bit more energetic than before. "Shall we wrap this case up?" Heiji asked, giving Conan a thumbs up.

Conan returned the gesture and smiled weakly. "Un," he nodded, just as the car pulled to a stop in the parking lot.

Megure, Heiji and Conan got out of the car and made their way to Ise Ono's apartment, careful not to make any noise as they did so. They didn't want to spook Ono into running. Once they reached the door, Megure knocked, calling, "Ise Ono. This is Megure-keibu from before. May I speak with you?"

There was no response from within though. Moreover, from the windows it was apparent that the lights were off.

"Ise Ono, this is the Tokyo Police. Please open the door," Megure knocked again.

Just then, the door creaked open ever so slightly, revealing a bit of the darkened interior.

"It's open," Heiji whispered, alerting Megure to the situation. Megure nodded and gestured for Conan and Heiji to take a step back. He then reached into his holster for his gun, pulling it out and holding it up front. Then with caution, Megure slowly pushed open the door and took a step forward. Heiji and Conan were quick to follow suit.

Once inside, they had to rely on the light attached to Megure's gun to see, the room completely dark save for the one beam of illumination.

"Ise Ono?" Megure called as he swept his gun side to side, "Ise Ono?"

Just then, something on the ground caught Heiji's eye. It was body. "Quick, da lights!" he yelled.

"Found it!" Conan replied, flipping a switch on the wall.

Instantly, the room lit up, momentarily blinding everyone. Conan had to blink a few times before his eyes adjusted. He then quickly glanced over at the ground in front, a gasp escaping his mouth when he saw what lied there.

On the ground, in the middle of the living room, was Ise Ono, the woman they had met with earlier in the day, the only difference being that there was now a giant, bloody dent in her skull. The discarded trophy which lied next to her, also covered with blood, was the presumed weapon.

Heiji, being the closest, instantly rushed to Ono and checked for any signs of life. After a brief moment though, he looked up and shook his head.

"She's dead?" Megure asked incredulously, voicing the feelings of everyone in the room.

The case that was supposed to be closed was once again blown wide open.

* * *

"Megure-keibu, I got here as fast as I could," Takagi said, reporting in, "But to think, someone murdered the culprit."

"Looks that way," Megure said, looking around as forensic techs began combing the scene for clues.

"Any idea who might have done it?" Takagi asked.

Megure shook his head, his attention turning to Conan and Heiji, both of whom were busy inspecting the body.

"She's been dead for a while," Heiji was saying, "Judgin' by the rigor mortis, it looks like she died shortly after we left."

"You think it's related to Kozu-san's murder?" Conan asked, his expression showing that he was deep in thought.

"It has to be," Heiji replied, "It can't be coincidence that she's murdered right after committin' a murder."

Conan nodded, his eyes narrowing as as he scanned Ono's body. That's when something caught his attention. "Ne, Hattori," Conan whispered, "Do you remember if Ise-san was wearing earrings?"

"Earrings?" Heiji wondered, suddenly realizing what Conan was getting at, "Ah, I see. Her ears look a little torn, like someone was in a hurry to remove her earrings."

"Exactly," Conan said, "But why?" Conan pointed to Ono's wrists. "She still has her other jewelry. So why only the earrings?"

"Maybe they're important-" Heiji began but his words trailed off.

"Hattori?"

"Ne, Kudo, remember when we were interviewin' her? Somethin' else weird happened, right?"

"You mean-?" Conan began but before he could finish, one of the techs interrupted.

"Megure-keibu, we found this in the trash," the tech said, holding what appeared to be scraps of paper in his hand. Heiji and Conan walked over, just in time to see the tech piece the scraps together to form the original page. It was a flyer for Adrenaline Call.

"I guess this just further confirms Ise Ono as the culprit," Megure said, "Bag it."

"Hai," the tech replied, about to walk off. He was stopped by Heiji though.

"Ah, just a moment. Can I see that?" Heiji asked, procuring the paper pieces from the tech.

"What is it, Hattori-kun?" Megure asked, looking over Heiji's shoulder as Heiji inspected the paper.

"Don't ya think it's weird?" Heiji asked.

"What is?"

"She was so careful about everythin' else. No fingerprints on da phone. Usin' an internet cafe. So why would she just leave a flyer in da trash?"

"You do have a point," Megure said.

"Right?" Heiji said as he picked up a piece to inspect it more closely. That's when he suddenly discovered something. "Yo, Kudo," Heiji whispered, passing off the piece to Conan, "D'ya smell anythin' on this paper?"

Conan looked at Heiji curiously for a moment before taking the paper and holding it up to his nose. He took a sniff. "This is," Conan began, his eyes opening wide, "fish oil?"

"That's what I thought too," Heiji confirmed, "which means-" Heiji stood up and handed the pieces of paper back to the tech. He then turned his attention to Megure. "Ne, keibu, about Ise Ono's father, do ya know where he lives?"

Megure nodded, "I was just about to head over to inform him of the situation."

"Let us go with ya," Heiji said, pointing to himself and Conan.

"Ha? What for?" Megure asked.

"There's just somethin' that I want to check out," Heiji replied cryptically, a confident smirk on his face.

* * *

"It should definitely be there, right?" Heiji whispered as he and Conan followed Megure to the entrance of Kinji's apartment.

Conan nodded in reply. "There's no doubt about it. It should be in his house somewhere, the earrings he took after murdering his own daughter."

"Yosh. Here's the plan then. While da inspector is distractin' Ise-san with da news of his daughter's death, we'll excuse ourselves to da bathroom and search da house."

"Uh-ha," Conan replied, wondering if the plan would really work. He didn't get a chance to protest, however, as they had just reached the door. Megure rang the bell.

There was a pause before the door opened. "Ah, keibu," Kinji replied when he noticed who it was, "what can I do for you?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Ise-san. May I come inside?" Megure asked.

"Bad news? What do you mean by that?" Kinji asked.

"Please, let's speak inside," Megure repeated.

"Tell me, keibu," Kinji demanded, putting his hands on Megure's shoulders.

Megure relented. "Your daughter was founded murdered in her apartment earlier," he said.

"Ono-chan's...dead?" Kinji asked, his eyes opening wide in shock. His knees buckled, causing him to suddenly stumble forward. Fortunately, he was caught by Megure before falling to the ground.

"Ise-san!" Megure said, trying to prop Kinji up.

"Ono-chan's dead?" Kinji repeated, a vacant look in his eyes. He tried to pull himself together, using the doorway to keep himself upright. "I'm sorry, keibu. I think I need to go lie down," Kinji said, retreating back into the house.

"Ah, let me stay with you," Megure suggested, but Kinji shook his head.

"I just want to be alone right now. Please," Kinji pleaded. "I'll do whatever you need me to do later. Just...for now."

Megure took one glance at Kinji's depressed state before giving in. "I understand," Megure said, giving Kinji a nod.

Kinji returned the nod before slowly closing the door.

"Shall we head back then?" Megure suggested, making off towards the car.

Heiji and Conan both took one last look at the apartment before following Megure's lead. As they walked, Heiji leaned over to Conan and whispered, "Did ya see da way he was standin'? He was obviously tryin' to block the doorway, like he didn't want anyone to come in."

"Yeah," Conan replied, "But without any solid evidence against him, we can't get a search warrant. He probably knows that we can only enter if he invites us."

"No chance of that happenin', eh?"

"Not likely. Well, for now, let's go back to the crime scene. There might be some more ev-evi-" Conan stuttered, suddenly feeling his vision begin to blur.

Lifting a hand, he tried rubbing his eyes, hoping to refocus. However, instead of his vision improving, he felt his head begin to spin. His steps became stumbles as Conan struggled to keep moving forward. Then without warning, his legs abruptly gave out under him, causing Conan to tumble forward. With a thump, he hit the ground, his vision gradually becoming darker and darker as consciousness slipped away. Just before he went under, Conan heard Heiji call his name. And then the world vanished.

* * *

"Hakase, do you know where Kudo-kun is at the moment?" Haibara asked as she walked up the stairs from the basement.

"I can check the tracking glasses for you," Agasa replied, putting down the newspaper he was reading. He walked over to a nearby drawer and pulled out the spare glasses. He then turned them on. "Looks like he's downtown somewhere," Agasa replied when he located the blinking dot.

"He's not at the detective agency?" Haibara asked, surprised.

"I guess not," Agasa said, returning the glasses to the drawer. "Did you need him for something?"

"Well, sort of," Haibara replied. She pulled out a small container from her pocket. "I wanted him to try the new antidote I developed. It should be more effective than the previous ones."

"Oh, I see," Agasa said, "Do you want me to give him a call?"

Haibara thought about the offer for a moment before shaking her head. "No, it's fine. I'll just wait until he comes back."

* * *

"Geez, Heiji, do ya have anythin' to say for yourself?" Kazuha scolded, tapping her foot impatiently. "I mean, not only did ya just ditch us at the arcade, ya didn't even give us a call. Then ya dragged Conan-kun all over town until he collapsed from exhaustion. How irresponsible can ya get?"

"Well, it was slightly more complicated than that," Heiji mumbled.

"What's that?" Kazuha asked, clearly annoyed.

"Ah, nothin', nothin'," Heiji said, trying to avoid angering Kazuha further, "Ya right. I'll make it up to ya."

"Ya better be prepared then!" Kazuha said, causing Ran to laugh. "What's so funny, Ran-chan?" Kazuha asked.

"It's just, I think you two have changed a little," Ran replied.

"Eh?" Kazuha remarked in surprise, "Ya think so?"

"Un, Hattori-kun seems more," Ran paused, trying to think of the right word, "timid now, I guess?"

"Timid?!" Heiji exclaimed, "I'll have you know-"

"Shut up, Heiji!" Kazuha interrupted.

"Yes, ma'am," Heiji mumbled, making it clear who held the power in the relationship. Heiji and Kazuha had been going out for less than a month and yet the man was already securely tamed. _What did I get myself into?_ Heiji wondered silently. _Who knew relationships could be so frightenin'?_

Before he could continue his train of thought, Kazuha interrupted, "Ne, Ran-chan, d'ya want to go get some yashoku? There's a restaurant nearby."

"Actually, I should probably take Conan-kun back home," Ran replied, "I feel bad occupying your hotel room and my father probably wants us to come back."

"It's fine. Me and Heiji stayed over at ya place plenty of times. And besides, it's only ten. I'm sure ya dad will be fine with it," Kazuha said.

"Well-" Ran hesitated.

Kazuha leaned over and whispered into Ran's ear, "Just leave Heiji here with Conan-kun. Wasn't that the plan from the start? To have Heiji cheer Conan-kun up?"

"I guess you're right," Ran admitted. Then turning around, she said, "Hattori-kun, can I leave Conan-kun here with you while Kazuha and I go buy some food?"

"Of course," Heiji replied, "Leave it to me."

"Hm? Tryin' to act all responsible now?" Kazuha said, her tone indicating that she was still annoyed at being ditched at the arcade.

Heiji ignored the comment though, instead turning to Ran. "Ah, but before ya go, can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Me?" Ran asked in surprise.

"Ya, in private?" Heiji elaborated, giving Kazuha a look.

Despite the teasing before, Kazuha could tell when Heiji was serious about something and she respected his wishes. "I'll head out first and take a look at the menu, okay, Ran-chan?"

"Alright, I'll meet you there," Ran replied, waving as Kazuha left the hotel first. She then turned to Heiji. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Let's find somewhere to talk," Heiji suggested.

* * *

Kaito peered out of the closet he had been hiding in, just in time to see the Osakan and the girl walk off together down the hall. He had been tailing Conan all day, waiting for the opportunity to speak with him- had followed him from the crime scene at the arcade to each apartment, to the second crime scene, and to Ise Kinji's house, where Kaito witnessed Conan collapsing from exhaustion. And now Kaito had followed Conan to a hotel room, where the latter was presumably resting, asleep. Kaito figured that since Conan was alone, it would be a good chance to speak with him.

Looking down the hall, Kaito made sure the coast was clear before he finally stepped out. Then swiftly, he made his way to room 117, the room Conan was currently in. From his pocket, he pulled out a master key-card, which he had lifted earlier from one of the janitors. Using it, Kaito unlocked the door. He hesitated though, his hand sitting idly on the handle. _What if I can't change his mind?_Kaito wondered, a slew of doubts suddenly rushing into his head. Kaito quickly shook them away and then opened the door without another thought, slipping inside before anyone saw him.

Once inside, Kaito turned his attention to the beds at the far end of the room, where Conan as supposed to be lying, fast asleep. To his surprise, however, the room was completely empty, with not a soul in sight.

_What's going on? _Kaito wondered, _Did I get the wrong room?_ _No, that's not it._ Kaito scanned around, his eyes eventually settling on the window. A cool breeze caused the curtains to flutter a little. _Could it be-?_ Kaito thought, rushing forward and quickly brushing the curtain aside. As he suspected, the window was wide open.

_He ran away? _

* * *

Ise Kinji was staring at the earrings in his hand when the phone suddenly rang, causing him to jump in surprise. Hastily, he put the earrings into a box before rushing to the phone. After the close encounter with the police, he was rather on edge. However, keen to maintain his composure, Kinji took a deep breath, then picked the phone off the receiver.

"Hello? This is Ise Kinji. To whom am I speaking?" Kinji asked. He almost dropped the phone, however, when he heard the response.

"Otousan? Is that you?" the caller asked. When there was no reply, the caller tried again, "Otousan? Are you there? It's me, Ono."

"O-ono-chan? Is it really you? I-I heard-" Kinji stuttered, unsure how to handle the situation.

"Otousan, I'm in a bit of trouble. The police are at my apartment," Ono explained, "Can you meet me at the Kamo's Building rooftop in ten minutes? I really need to see you."

"O-okay. I understand. I'll be there," Kinji managed, finally recovering from the shock. With the agreement in place, Kinji hung up the phone, placing it back into the receiver. He then took a few unsure steps towards the door. "It's impossible," he mumbled to himself, "There's no way that was Ono-chan." Kinji looked at his hand, which was still metaphorically stained red. "That's right. I killed her. She can't still be alive," he repeated. But deep down inside, there was a seed of doubt, a doubt which compelled him to the Kamo's Building rooftop regardless of what he knew to be true.

* * *

"Thanks," Heiji said, taking the cup of water that Ran had offered him.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Ran asked, taking a seat across from Heiji.

"Da reason ya invited me and Kazuha to Tokyo, it was for Conan-kun, right?" Heiji asked, getting straight to the point. Ran nodded. "There's obviously somethin' goin' on. Could ya tell me what?"

"Has Conan-kun told you anything?" Ran asked. Heiji shook his head. "I see," Ran sighed. _That's just like him_, she thought silently before continuing. "I'll tell you everything then, from the beginning."

"It's not just that he's unhappy, right?"

"Unfortunately not," Ran replied.

* * *

"Hello? Ono-chan? It's your father," Kinji called as he exited the stairs and took a step onto the roof. He scanned around, but the roof appeared deserted. "Ono-chan?" Kinji called again. He walked towards the edge of the roof and peered out into the city, the lights below illuminating the night. He then turned around and looked at the roof again, wondering if the phone call had just been some kind of prank. After all, it was past the appointed time. The only thing that kept Kinji there was how similar the voice had been to Ono's. If it was an impostor, Kinji thought, it must have been a damn good one, so much so that even he, who had raised Ono for twenty plus years, couldn't tell the difference. _Is Ono-chan really still alive?_ Kinji wondered. _  
_

Just then, a voice spoke, catching Kinji by surprise, "Good evening, Ise Kinji."

"Who are you?!" Kinji exclaimed, his eyes darting around to locate the source. That's when he noticed someone stepping out from the shadow of the roof access. Kinji's eyes opened wide with surprise when he recognized who it was. Then there was a moment of confusion as his mind tried to process all the possible scenarios and future actions. Finally, finding the best possible course of action, Kinji put on a gentle smile and took a step forward. "Ah, I remember you. You're the boy from earlier, the one doing a school project, correct?" Kinji asked. He held his hands out, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

The boy, however, remained quiet.

Kinji, finding the silence unsettling, decided to keep talking, "Tell me, what are you doing here so late at night? Your parents must be worried right?" As he asked the question, Kinji took another step forward, towards the stairwell. He figured that, worst-case scenario, he would make a run for it down the stairs. "Don't worry, boy, there's nothing to be afraid of. You can talk to me," Kinji encouraged.

As if finally responsive, the boy tilted his head sideways and gave Kinji a curious look. He then spoke for the first time. "Your daughter's dead," he said, his tone completely neutral. It wasn't angry. It wasn't sad. There was no emotion beyond the statement of a fact. The lack of emotion also caught Kinji by surprise.

"W-what are you talking about, boy?" Kinji asked, suddenly on guard. _  
_

"That's why you're here, right? To confirm if your daughter was indeed dead?"

_This brat-! _Kinji thought, starting to grasp the situation. "And how would you know something like that, boy?" he asked.

"Because I'm the one who called you here," was the nonchalant reply.

"What?!" Kinij exclaimed, unsure how to take the new information. _What does he mean, he called me here?_ Kinji wondered.

As if reading his mind, the boy sighed and pulled out something from his pocket. Kinji took a cautious step back before he realized that it was a bow-tie. The boy lifted the bow-tie to his mouth and spoke. "You're meeting with me, right, Otousan?" the boy said, replicating Ono's voice perfectly.

Kinji couldn't help but look surprised. "Oh, that's an interesting toy you have there, boy," Kinji said. He could feel his hand ball into a fist as he realized he was tricked. "So, why did you call me here using Ono-chan's voice?"

The boy tilted his head again, as if to indicate that stupid questions should remain unasked. "To prove that you're the one who murdered Ise Ono, of course," he said.

At that, Kinji burst out laughing. "I'm the murderer? And what makes you say that?"

"The first clue," the boy said, holding up his index finger, "was during the police interview. At the time, your daughter asked if the police had found the criminal. However, this was before she had been told her best friend's death was a murder. This would naturally arouse suspicions and in fact, you noticed this point. You excused yourself to the kitchen to avoid drawing attention though. My guess is that you later confronted your daughter about it and in a heated argument, killed her. There are other indications that you're the criminal as well. In the trash, the police found a flyer for Adrenaline Call, which likely belonged to Ise Ono. She probably kept it hidden, but you found it and showed it to her during your argument as proof of her involvement. Then in your anger, you ripped up the flyer and threw it away. I know it was you because on the flyer was fish oil, which got onto your fingers after you ate those fried sardine snacks."

"That's impressive, boy. But what reason would I have for killing my own daughter?" Kinji asked.

"It was the shame and humiliation. You couldn't stand the thought that she had soiled the family name by committing murder. And in your fit of rage, you killed her. Ironic isn't it? Oh, and by the way, it's clear that the murder was impulsive as the murder weapon was an item that was lying around the house. If it was premeditated, you would have brought your own weapon."

"J-just who the heck are you, boy?" Kinji exclaimed.

The boy smirked. "Does it matter? Just consider me the harbinger of justice."

"Justice? Hahaha!" Kinji laughed, "I'm not sure if you know this, boy, but to prove your case, you need solid evidence. Your story might be fine and good, but fish oil won't hold as evidence in a court of law."

"What about the earrings that you took from your dead daughter's body?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Kinji asked, feigning ignorance.

"They're at your house, right? At first, I wondered why anyone would only steal the earrings. After all, if valuables were the goal, then the other jewelry should have been stolen as well. Then I realized that the earrings must have symbolic value, like a family heirloom or something. In fact, if I had to guess, the earrings were your late wife's. You probably couldn't stand seeing them hanging from the ears of your daughter. That's why you removed them. But if they were that important, that means you also didn't throw them away. Hence, they must still be in your house. If the police search it, I'm sure they'll find-"

"They won't find anything," Kinji interrupted, "because they won't even step foot inside my house. Without a search warrant-"

This time, it was the boy's turn to laugh. "You think a search warrant is the only way for the police to enter your house?"

"What do you mean?" Kinji said, his eyes narrowing.

"They'll have access to your house when they investigate the murder," the boy explained.

"What murder?"

"Yours," the boy smirked.

"Oh? Are you telling me that your going to kill me yourself?"

"Me? No. You're going to kill yourself," the boy replied. Under the light of the moon, a sinister look could be seen developing on his face.

* * *

Kaito's eyes opened wide in surprise when he heard those words uttered from Conan's mouth. _"You're going to kill yourself." _The sentence echoed in Kaito's mind, causing him to paralyze momentarily. _Kudo-kun, what are you planning?!_

Kaito had just recently managed to track Conan to the rooftop of the Kamo's Building and had skillfully hid himself in the stairwell. It was the perfect place to observe as he could see through the crack of the doorway. Moreover, if Conan needed backup, Kaito would be able to immediately rush out. And if the criminal tried to escape, Kaito would be there to stop him. However, what Kaito wasn't counting on was Conan's proclamation.

_"You're going to kill yourself."_

_Is Kudo-kun really going to have the man commit suicide? _Kaito wondered. _It has to be a bluff, a ploy of some sort._

Kaito was snapped out of thoughts when he realized that the conversation was continuing. The man, Kinji, was busy laughing.

"Why would I commit suicide?" Kinji asked, "I thought you were pretty clever but it turns out you're just an idiot." From his position in hiding, Kaito could see that Kinji had a conceited expression on his face. Kaito couldn't see Conan's expression though, only able to see the backside of the boy.

"You're not only going to commit suicide, you're going to leave a note as well, to inform the police of your suicide," Conan said.

"Enough with the jokes already," Kinji said, staring to get annoyed. "If this is all you got, then there's other places I need to be," he said, making as if to walk off.

Kaito felt his muscles tense as he prepared for the possibility that he would need to intervene. What happened next surprised him though.

"Are you sure you want to leave, Ise Kinji?" Conan asked, "Aren't you afraid of people finding out about how you raped that little girl three years ago?"

_He's a murderer and a rapist?! _Kaito thought silently, holding off on taking any action for the time being.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kinji replied.

"Oshimura Sanako," Conan said, "Have you forgotten that name already?"

"Who the hell is that?" Kinji asked.

"Thirteen years old. Black hair. Brown eyes. You kidnapped her from a shopping mall," Conan said.

"Bullshit! This is all utter bullshit!" Kinji said, "You're just making things up!"

"Am I?" Conan asked, picking up his bow-tie again. "Please, Oujisan, stop! Please!" were the words that came out, though in the voice of a hysterical girl, "It hurts! Please! Stop!" The words were then followed by the sounds of crying.

"Stop!" Kinji exclaimed, "What are you trying to do?"

Conan ignored the question though, instead speaking again into the bow-tie. This time, the voice that came out was Kinji's. "You know you like it, Sanako-chan. Now be a good girl. Shhh. That's right." Apparently extra effort was put in to make the voice sound as dirty as possible.

"That isn't me! That never happened!" Kinji protested.

"Ah, but it does sound just like you, doesn't it?" Conan asked. "What do you think is going to happen if I make a recording of this?"

"No one would believe it! There's no truth in it!" Kinji yelled.

"Truth?" Conan said, toying around with the word in his mouth, "You're surprisingly naive, aren't you?"

"W-what?" Kinji asked, unsure how to respond.

"Truth is what people believe it to be. And in the case of something like this, all the more so. First, it'll probably start off as rumors. Kinji-san raped a little girl. Then it will evolve into gossip. What else did Kinji-san do that no one knows about? And once gossip is repeated enough, well, truth doesn't really matter anymore, does it?"

"Y-you bastard!"

"And I have a strong suspicion that someone who cares as much about reputation as you, so much so that you were willing to kill your daughter in a fit of rage, would never be able to live something like that down. Am I right, Ise Kinji-san?"

"Tch," was Kinji's only reply. It was apparent that he was angry and frustrated.

"Oh, by the way," Conan said, holding up his wrist, "Don't try anything funny like attacking me. This watch is a stun gun that will knock you out before you even get close to me. Now, what will you do, Ise Kinji-san?"

There was a pause as everything became silent, as if time itself stopped. Kaito could feel his breath catch in his throat; his heart seemed to stop beating. _W-what is this? What are you doing, Kudo-kun? _

Then suddenly, everything began moving again. Kinji broke the stillness.

"I-if I do what you say, if I commit suicide, you won't spread those lies about me?" Kinji asked, looking utterly defeated.

"I won't. I am a person of my word," Conan replied, "Of course, you'll still be labeled a murderer for killing your daughter. But at least you won't be considered a pedophillic rapist who preys on young girls."

"I see," Kinji said, apparently deep in thought. Finally, he lifted his head. "I presume you have a paper and pen prepared for me?"

"Of course," Conan replied, pulling the supplies out of his pocket. He handed them over to Kinji, who quickly scribbled something down and then handed them back to Conan. Conan read through the note and, seemingly satisfied, gave Kinji a nod and pointed to the edge of the roof. Kinji slowly made his way over, pausing as he got to the ledge.

"I guess this is your victory, boy," Kinji said as he slowly lifted himself up.

Kaito, watching the situation in stunned silence, was suddenly snapped back to his senses. _Oi! Oi! Is he really going to jump?_ Kaito wondered, exploding into motion and jumping up from his stooped position. As he did so, he noticed Kinji turning his gaze upwards towards the sky.

"Ono-chan, I'm sorry," Kaito heard Kinji said.

"You can tell her that face to face," was Conan's sharp reply just before Kinji took a swan dive off the roof of the building.

"WAIT!" Kaito yelled, bursting through the door and onto the roof. He was too late though, as by that time, Kinji had already gone over. Kaito sprinted over to the edge of the roof and peered over, squinting his eyes to see the ground below. Thanks to a street lamp, Kaito was able to make out the figure of Kinji, who was contorted in ways that the human body was never meant to be contorted. Needless to say, Kinji was dead.

* * *

"I see. The situation does seem rather complicated," Heiji said, scratching his head.

"I know you and Conan-kun get along well. So keep an eye out for him, okay?" Ran asked.

Heiji nodded. "Of course!"

"Thanks," Ran said, giving Heiji a smile, "Well, I should probably go find Kazuha-chan. It's been half an hour. She's probably worried."

"Okay. I'll go check up on Conan-kun," Heiji said as the two of them parted way. Heiji made his way back to the room and then used his card to unlocked the door.

"Yo, Kudo, we need to talk," Heiji said as he entered. To his surprise, though, the room was empty. "Kudo? Kudo?!"

* * *

Kaito stared at the dead body on the street for a few more moments before finally snapping out of his trance. Then he instantly turned to his side, looking for Conan. To his surprise though, Conan wasn't there. Instead, Conan was already heading towards the stairs, about to head down. Kaito made a mad dash over and grabbed Conan by the arm, stopping him. "What the hell was that, Kudo-kun? Why'd you make him commit suicide?!" Kaito demanded.

"How else was the case going to be solved? There wasn't any evidence against him. There wasn't a way to get a warrant. With this though, the police can now go find the proof. Plus, a murderer has been removed from the world. Isn't this the perfect example of justice?"

"Justice? Are you fucking with me? You just pretty much killed a man!" Kaito shouted.

"He didn't deserve to live," Conan mumbled.

"You don't get to decided that!" Kaito snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you? Just what are you thinking?!"

"Ignore the established order. Disregard others and take no heed from external influences. Grab hold of true freedom and give in to your intuitions," Conan mumbled.

"What?! What the hell does that mean?!" Kaito shouted. When Conan didn't respond, Kaito flipped him around and grabbed Conan by the collar of his shirt. "Oi, answer me, Kudo-kun!" Kaito demanded. Conan's head was down though, his hair covering a good portion of his face. "Answer me, Kudo-kun! What the fuck are you thinking? This isn't like you at all!" Kaito shouted, shaking Conan and causing his head to nod up and down. When the silence continued, Kaito was finally at his wit's end. He slammed Conan into the nearby wall, holding the boy's body up so that his feet dangled in the air. "Are you listening, Kudo-kun?!" Kaito asked.

Finally, Conan spoke. "Let go of me," he mumbled.

"What?! Is that all you have to say?!" Kaito replied.

"I said, LET GO OF MY FUCKING SHIRT!" Conan exclaimed.

Kaito, flabbergasted by the outburst, lost his grip and allowed Conan to drop to the ground. _Kudo-kun...?_ Kaito wondered, staring in shock. That's when he and Conan suddenly made eye-contact, each delving into the depths of the other's gaze. That's also when Kaito suddenly realized that something was off about Conan's appearance.

The irises...were violet.

The connection lasted only a moment before Conan broke it off, turning away towards the stairs. Kaito, though, was too in shock to move, paralyzed by the situation. Thus, it was without another word that Conan walked down the stairs, leaving Kaito alone, confused and wanting to cry.

* * *

"Ha?! What d'ya mean he's missin'?" Kazuha yelled as she, Heiji and Ran walked through the hallway towards their hotel room.

"Like I said, he wasn't in da room," Heiji replied.

"Are ya sure ya went to the right room?" Kazuha asked.

"D'ya think I'm an idiot?" Heiji said as they arrived. He pulled out the key-card and unlocked the door, pushing it open. "See? He's not-" Heiji began, looking into the room. He paused mid-sentence though as his eyes caught a glimpse of Conan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. "Ah ha ha," Heij laughed nervously.

Kazuha's irritated look showed that she was not amused though. "_Heiji_," she said, putting particular emphasis on his name, "Prepare yourself!"

* * *

"Police have recently solved the murder of Ise Ono, a woman who had strangely enough been the culprit in another murder case. As it turns out, Ise Ono was murdered by her own father, Ise Kinji. Police have found evidence in the form of diamond earrings linking Kinji to the scene of the crime. Ise Kinji himself, after murdering his daughter, committed suicide by jumping off the Kamo's Building. Police have found a suicide note, in which Kinji writes that he cannot live with what he has done. With Kinji's suicide, police have officially closed the books on the series of events that have left three dead," the radio announced, "And now, in other news, a breakthrough in human machine systems-"

"You hear that?" the site owner asked as he changed the radio station to one that played music, "Crazy world, huh? I guess it's all the more reason to have experience shooting guns. Self defense and all that, right?"

"Hai," Kaito nodded, though he wasn't actually listening. Instead, he was lost in his own thought. "Can I shoot now?" he asked, picking up the 45mm handgun that the shooting range owner had provided.

"Go right ahead," the owner said, putting on a set of earmuffs for protection.

Kaito nodded and then held the gun up in front of him, pointing it at the paper target provided. He aimed carefully and then pulled the trigger.

_Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. _

___Bang. Bang. Bang._ _Bang._

Eight rounds fired at the target, using up the entire magazine. Once Kaito was done, he put down the gun. The owner then pulled the target closer for inspection.

"Wow," the owner whistled once he saw the bullet holes, "Eight shots, all through the heart. That's some crazy accuracy, kid. Are you a hero or something?"

"Hero?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know, hunting down bad guys and stuff with that shooting of yours."

"Oh...yeah...I guess it's something like that," Kaito mumbled.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Holy moly, this chapter's really long. And I'm too tired to leave any witty closing remarks. But do let me know what you think. In my opinion, this was a pretty pivotal chapter.

Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter! Four more to go!

Cheers!


	46. Arc Five: The Final Straw

A/N: Thanks for the wealth of responses! Maybe I should do more evil things in my chapters, mwahaha ;D

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

"Ne, Kudo, ya hear that Ise Kinji commited suicide?" Heiji asked over the phone.

"Yeah. It was a bit unexpected, right?" Conan replied.

"I'll say. He didn't seem like the suicide type," Heiji added, "Especially with the cold attitude he had after murderin' his daughter. Well, with that though, the case is officially closed."

"They found the earrings in his apartment?"

"Yep, hidden in a shoe box."

"I see. Well, it's good that the case finally ended."

"I know, right?" Heiji remarked. Then there was a pause before he spoke again. "Ne, Kudo, are ya sure ya feelin' alright?"

"Hm? What's this about?" Conan asked, surprised by the question.

"Ya did collapse and all."

"Oh, that. I was just tired. I'm fine now though," Conan reassured.

"Really?" Heiji asked, sounding doubtful.

"Really, I'm fine," Conan confirmed, "And besides, shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? I heard you pissed off Toyama-san pretty badly."

"Kazuha? Yeah, she's mad about the whole ditchin' thin'."

"Well, we did just leave them at the arcade for several hours," Conan pointed out.

"Still, that's no reason-" Heiji began angrily before suddenly pausing.

"Hattori?" Conan asked when there was no sound coming from the receiver.

"Kazuha's back. I gotta go," Heiji whispered, hanging up the phone.

Conan looked at his cell for a moment, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry. _Relationships are scary_, he thought silently before tucking the phone into his pocket. He then exited the bathroom and returned to his own room, sighing as he collapsed onto his futon. His mind gradually drifted to the previous case, now two days in the past.

_Suicide, huh?_ Conan wondered, contemplating the situation. For some reason, he had sensed that was the case, even before reading about it in the news. It had almost been like a premonition, bits and pieces of imagery from when Ise Kinji had jumped off the rooftop of a building, a rather unsettling experience, almost as if he had been there.

Conan shook his head, wondering if the stress of not sleeping was finally getting worse. Lately, it felt like he was seeing and hearing things all too often, things that didn't actually exist, events that didn't actually occur. And through it all, there was _that _voice, that voice that kept calling out to him, drawing him in. The voice came from somewhere in the recesses of his mind. Or perhaps, Conan realized, it didn't come from anywhere at all. Like the paranoid schizophrenic, Conan wasn't sure if he could trust his own mind anymore and he wasn't even sure if that was a scary thought. He could sense though that _it _was happening, just as he and Akai had predicted, just as he and Kaito had discussed.

Conan wondered how long it would be until he was at the point of no return.

Reaching into his pocket, Conan pulled out his phone once more, scrolling to the calendar application. Looking at the date, he realized that it had been little more than a week since Akai had left Japan. _Two more weeks, huh?_ Conan thought silently, closing his phone.

_Can I make it?_

* * *

"And that's what happened," Redgrace said, finishing his account of the explosion.

"I see," one of the judges said as he jotted down some notes. "Okay, that will be it for today. We'll summon you again once we've reached a verdict."

"Thank you," Redgrace said, standing up and giving a slight bow. He then made his way out of the courtroom.

"Yo," Paul called as soon as Redgrace stepped out. "How'd it go?"

"It was fine," Redgrace replied, "Did you get the tickets?"

"Business-minded as usually, I see," Paul said, giving Redgrace a smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Tickets to Japan, set for two weeks from now."

"Thanks," Redgrace said, putting the envelope away.

"Are you really going to go, after what happened?"

"It's because of what happened that I have to go," Redgrace replied.

"Tch, you always have a way with words, don't you?" Paul asked, a grin forming on his face.

Redgrace returned the grin. "Thanks, Paul. For everything," he said, extending a hand. Paul took it.

"Good luck," he said.

* * *

"Ise Kinji commits suicide," Etanoru said as he read off the headline of the newspaper, "Brilliant! Simply brilliant!"

"Boss?" Mead asked. They were again at their routine executives' meeting.

"What did I tell you, Mead?" Etanoru remarked as he folded the paper and set it aside, "The lion is awakening."

"You're right. It's just like you said, Boss," Mead confirmed.

"Although, I did not expect this 'Kaito' fellow to interfere," Etanoru said, talking to himself. He then turned to Mead. "What information do we have on him?"

"Not much," Mead replied, painfully aware that was not the response Etanoru was hoping for, "According to scouts, he just came out of nowhere."

"I see. Vodka-"

"Hai!" Vodka exclaimed, surprised that Etanoru was actually talking to him.

Etanoru ignored the outburst and continued, "Assign some operatives to investigate this 'Kaito'. I want to know as much about him as possible."

"Hai," Vodka said, making a mental note of the command.

"And one more thing," Etanoru said, "I think it's about time for Project Emergence to reach fruition."

"You mean-" Mead began.

"Hai," Etanoru interrupted.

"What's the plan, Boss?" Mead asked.

"Vodka, that hoodlum, what was his name-?" Etanoru began, tapping a finger against his head, "Ah, right- The Night's Shadow. Do we still have contact with him?"

"I believe so," Vodka replied, nodding his head.

Etanoru smiled. "Alright then. Here's the plan."

* * *

_"Justice..." "...external influences..." "...freedom..." "...a new world." "Conan-kun."_

Conan woke up to a particularly bad _episode. _Everything was spinning and the voice in his head was painfully loud, so much so that he didn't even notice Ran calling his name. It was only when she shook his shoulder that he finally turned his attention. She was looking at him, as if expecting a response. Not knowing the question though, Conan could only give a "huh?" in reply.

"I said, you're going to be late for school, Conan-kun," Ran repeated, pulling him off the couch.

"Ah, Ran-neechan," Conan replied, his voice coming out groggier than he expected.

"Mou, it's already seven thirty, Conan-kun," Ran said. She pointed to her watch to emphasize the point. Conan's eyes sluggishly followed.

_"Time...what...truly...matter? The only hour is...present...Time..."_

_Was that Ran just now?_ Conan wondered, his eyes shifting to Ran's face. Her lips weren't moving though. _Must be in my head then, _Conan concluded slowly.

Slow, everything felt slow- mind and body. It was as if he were moving through molasses.

"Conan-kun?" Ran asked, noticing Conan's distracted expression. Her voice caused Conan to look up, at which point he noticed her lips moving again.

_"What...you...now...this?"_

_What is she saying? Why can't I understand? _"Could you repeat that, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked.

_"Are you...let me out?"_

"I said, you need to leave now or else you'll be late for school."

_"You...exhausted...let...help...good..."_

_Right. School. __"Education...the masses...worst religion of all..." _I forgot that it was Monday. What should I do? "I...help..." Go to school? "I...help..." But that's risky, all things considered. "Don't...worry..." "Ah, Ran-neechan, can I stay home today?" Conan asked, finally coming to a decision.

"Are you sick?" Ran asked worriedly, putting a hand to Conan's forehead, "You don't have a fever."

_"Not...only...illness...You...tired..."_

"I'm just a bit tired," Conan admitted, "I don't think I slept enough last night."

Upon hearing that, Ran took a step back and looked at Conan. Immediately, she could tell he wasn't lying. The bags under the eyes had returned, along with the hazy glance and haggard expression. Ran sighed, realizing that Conan was in no shape to go to school. "Well, okay. I'll stay home with you today then. Just let me give the school a call first."

_"Lovely...are you...kiss...make out..."_

Noticing Ran taking out her phone, Conan quickly interrupted, "No, you should go to school, Ran-neechan." _It's too dangerous to leave her alone with me. It's probably best if she was at school. _

_"No...fun...let...me..."_

"If you're not feeling well, I can't just leave you at home alone, Conan-kun. And Otou-san's out for the day," Ran replied, starting to punch in some digits on the keypad.

_"Let...me..." _

_Shut up. _"I'll be okay by myself," Conan insisted, "I just need some sleep."

_"Let...me..." _

_Shut up,_ Conan repeated.

"Are you sure?" Ran asked, putting the phone down.

_"Let...me..." _

"Shut up!" Conan yelled. His eyes suddenly opened wide when he realized he had spoken aloud instead of thinking it in his head. Ran, too, seemed taken aback by the outburst.

"Conan-kun?" Ran said, the phone shaking a little in her hand.

_"You...scare...haha..."_

_Damn it! Shut up already! _Conan thought, before quickly turning to Ran, "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean-"

_"Really...too...late...apology..."_

Ran looked Conan over from head to toe, then said, "Maybe I should stay after all."

_"That...right...spend...time..."_

"No, go to school, please!" Conan said, almost in a begging tone.

Ran took a look at Conan, in particular, focusing on his expression. It was the same as the time he had told her to go to New York, the same as the times when Shinichi was trying to protect her. Was there some reason she needed to be at school? Ran wasn't sure what was going on, but Conan was so insistent; she'd trust him for now. "O-okay," Ran finally said, putting the phone away in her pocket, "I'll be back right after school, okay? If you need anything, you can call me."

Conan nodded weakly. "Itterashai," he said, watching Ran leave and close the door behind her. Once the door finally shut with a click, Conan breathed a sigh of relief. He then walked to his room, looking for his mp3 player. _This is the best option for now. If I just isolate myself, no one will have to be hurt because of me. _

"_Is...that...your...fear?...Don't...ignore...me..." _

Conan's eyes scanned the room for a moment before he found what he was looking for. He picked up the mp3 player and plugged the ear buds in before pressing play. Instantly, a song began resonating in his head.

_"You...can't...drown...me...so...easily..."_

Conan turned the music player on its side and hit the button there, setting the volume to max.

* * *

"Kuroba-kun, can you please tell me the answer to problem seven?" the math teacher asked. It was third period and they were reviewing the homework assigned for the weekend, the one Kaito had conveniently forgotten to do. Still, he wasn't worried, though whether that was because he found the problem easy or because he was distracted by other thoughts was unclear.

Kaito glanced down at his textbook, searching for the problem. Once finding it, he did some quick mental math and replied, "x = y/3."

"Correct," the teacher replied, giving Kaito a surprised look, not so much because Kaito had given the right answer, but because Kaito had given the right answer without any fuss.

Kaito, on the other hand, had already stopped paying attention, his mind returning to his thoughts from before. He had been recalling the night Conan had met him on the rooftop, the one where he had received the 45mm gun and was given an explanation of what was happening. Even with the explanation though, and the first hand experience, Kaito could still hardly believe what Conan had told him was true.

_"It's personality manipulation. And I don't know what I might do when the 'other' me takes over. I might even hurt those around me."  
__"Why don't you just stop it?" Kaito had wondered then.  
__"It's not that easy. Even if I avoid any further exposure, the process is likely to continue. I have someone who can revert the process, but due to certain circumstances, he won't be in Japan for another two weeks. That's why I need you as a backup. To ensure that if he doesn't make it back in time, you'll end it with brute force."_

Kaito had even been told what to look for: strange uncharacteristic behavior, possible amnesia, high levels of anger, exhaustion, and so forth. But the one thing that was supposed to be most telling of all was the eyes- violet eyes.

And Kaito had seen them, even in the darkness of night. They were piercing, like how Conan's usually were, a gaze that seemed to see through anything and everything. But beyond that, there was also an underlying menace, an antipathy towards the world. That was the thing that had caused Kaito to freeze up, paralyzed like one who stares into the Gorgon's eye.

Kaito felt himself shutter at the thought. "Sensei," he said, raising his hand, "I don't feel so good. Can I go to the nurse?"

* * *

Conan figured that since he was home anyways, and unable to fall asleep, he'd might as well take Watson and Holmes out for a walk. When he hadn't been looking, the two pups had managed to grow yet again. They were on the cusp of becoming full fledged huskies. Conan scratched the two dogs behind the ears; the tail wagging reply showed that his attention was much appreciated.

"Shall we go then?" Conan asked, to which both dogs let out a bark.

_"Do...get...away...?" _the voice in his head asked. Conan ignored it though, instead making his way to the local park. Once there, he took out an old tennis ball from his pocket and started to play fetch with Watson and Holmes, chucking the ball as far as he could. He watched as the two dogs scurried off, obviously excited and full of energy. _"Are...you...listening? Oi...oi...oi..."_

Conan cupped his ears tightly with both hands, hoping to mute out the voice. Contrary to what he wanted, however, the voice only got louder.

_"JUST...A...BIT...LISTEN...FOR...FREEDOM...A...LIT TLE..."_

The voice got so loud that Conan could feel a ringing in his ears, like when a sudden loud sound blows out an eardrum. Conan gripped his head in pain, nearly stumbling over. Just before he fell though, a hand reached out to him, like a light in his darkness, bringing Conan back to his senses. Conan looked up slowly and noticed that it was a boy, specifically, the boy he had met before.

"Wizard-oniichan!" the boy called out, a bright smile on his face.

"Ah, you're-" Conan began, remembering that he had no idea what the boy's name was, "-from before."

"Un!" the boy nodded, "I'm so happy that I met you again! What are you doing here, Wizard-oniichan?"

Conan had to smile with the boy calling him a wizard, courtesy of their last encounter where Conan had claimed as much. "I'm just walking my dogs," Conan replied, pointing to Watson and Holmes, both of whom were in the processes of running back. Watson had managed retrieve the tennis ball.

"Ah! Are they yours?" the boy exclaimed excitedly. He watched starry-eyed as the two dogs approached before jumping onto Watson, knocking the dog onto the grass. The boy and Watson then proceeded to roll around, in fits of laughter and woofs, as if they had been best of friends since forever. It wasn't long before Watson finally got the upper hand though and stood perched on top of the boy, showering the boy with licks to the face. "Haha, stop, haha," the boy laughed, obviously enjoying himself.

_"ARE...YOU...JEALOUS...NO...CARE...IN...WORLD..."_ the voice asked, even louder than before. Conan held his head in pain, balling up on the ground._ Stop it...stop it...stop it..._

"Wizard-oniichan?" the boy asked, looking up from his play when he noticed that Conan was writhing in pain. He quickly rushed over and grabbed Conan by the shoulders, shaking him as he called, "Wizard-oniichan, are you okay?"

Conan cracked open an eye and, noticing the boy's worried expression, tried to pull himself into a sitting position. "I'm okay," Conan reassured, though he still had a hand on his head.

"Does it hurt?" the boy asked.

"A little," Conan admitted. He tried to smile, but it came out more as a twisted grin. "I'll be fine," he repeated, wondering if he was speaking to the boy or himself.

The boy, evidently not convinced, reached into his pocket and pulled out a Band-Aid, one with little smilie faces. He then removed the wrapper and stuck it onto Conan's forehead, giving it a pat when he was done. "There," the boy said, giving Conan a grin, "you'll feel better in no time."

Conan was about to say that it wasn't the kind of thing a Band-Aid could fix, but looking at the earnest expression on the boy's face, Conan couldn't help but nod and give thanks. "I'm sure it will," Conan said.

"Yatta," the boy cheered before a quizzical look appeared on his face. "Ne, is it because of the call from before?"

"Call from before?" Conan wondered aloud.

_"Date...Ran...forgot"_ the voice in his head reminded. _Crap._ Between the murder and everything else happening, Conan realized that he had completely forgotten his promise to celebrate his birthday with Ran.

"Wizard-oniichan?" the boy asked when Conan didn't respond.

"Ah-" Conan began but he was interrupted by the sudden ringing of the phone in his pocket. _Crap, is it Ran? _he wondered, pulling out the phone. "Sorry, I need to get this," he told the boy, who nodded in reply and went off to play with Watson and Holmes. Once he was alone, Conan opened the phone and took the call. "Look, I'm sorry I forgot all about it but-"

"What are you talking about, Kudo-kun?" Haibara interrupted.

"Oh, I was expecting Ran," Conan replied, sighing a breath of relief, "So, what's up?"

"You weren't at school today," Haibara answered.

"Uh, I wasn't feeling too well," Conan said.

There was a pause before Haibara continued. "Well, are you feeling better right now?"

"Why?"

"I adjusted the antidote formula a little and figured you'd want to come over and test it," Haibara explained.

_A new formula? "Pretty...dumb...luck..." _

"Really?! I'll be right there," Conan said, hanging up the phone. He then turned to the boy, who was still rolling around with the two huskies. "Ne, I have to go," Conan said.

"Aww," the boy replied, getting up off the ground, "It was fun." Conan nodded and watched as the boy was about to leave. That's when he remembered he still didn't know the boy's name.

"Hey, what's your name?" Conan asked, catching the boy a bit by surprise. He paused and then turned around.

"Naku," was the reply.

"Naku," Conan mumbled, watching as the boy ran off.

* * *

"Kudo-kun, you're here just in time," Haibara said as she noticed Conan walking into the living room.

"What do you mean?" Conan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"One of Hakase's experiments exploded again and he needs help cleaning it up," Haibara explained.

"Oi, I thought you called me over because you had the antidote ready."

"I do. And I'll give it to you, after you help clean," Haibara said slyly.

Conan just sighed, wondering if he really had a choice in the matter.

"By the way," Haibara began.

"What?" Conan asked, just about to head down to the lab.

"You sounded awfully happy when you heard about the antidote. Happier than normal."

"Geh," Conan remarked, once again reminded that Haibara was sharper than your average person.

"Any reason why?" Haibara pressed.

"I may or may not have promised to meet Ran for my birthday, as Shinichi," Conan admitted.

Instantly, a deadpan expression could be seen on Haibara's face. "And what were you planning to do if I hadn't managed to develop a new antidote?"

"Ahahaha," Conan laughed nervously, "What's the point of talking about hypotheticals?"

"You know, you're rather dumb whenever it comes to that girl from the detective agency," Haibara replied, clearly not amused.

"I guess so," Conan said, scratching his head. Then in a much more serious tone, he added, "It's just, it's been so long since she's seen me and-"

_I don't know if we'll be able to meet in the future, _Conan finished, though he didn't say that part aloud. There was a pause before Haibara broke the silence.

"I get it," she said, holding out her hand. In it was a small metallic box. "Here, the antidote. Now go and help Hakase clean up."

"Haibara-" Conan began, then changed his mind with a shake of his head. "Thanks you, for everything."

"Huh?" Haibara remarked.

"Ah, nothing," Conan quickly replied, running off to the lab in the basement.

* * *

**One Week Later**

* * *

"Shinichi?"

"Hey, Ran. I'm in Tokyo right now. Where do you want me to meet you?"

Instead of answering the question though, Ran just stood in stunned silence, unsure if she could believe her ears. Finally, she managed another, "Shinichi," before going silent once more, several thoughts quickly flying through her head: _Is Shinichi really back? Am I really going to be able to see him? _

"Okay, you can stop repeating my name and answer the question now," Shinichi joked, snapping Ran back to reality.

"Oh, right," Ran began, "Um, how about we meet by the large ferris wheel?"

"In Haido?"

"Hai. We can head out from there once we meet up."

"Okay. I'll meet you there in, say, an hour?"

"Wakata. See you then, Shinichi," Ran said, hanging up the phone. She put it away and then moved her hand to her chest. She could feel her heart thumping away, either from nervousness or excitement- she was going to see him again!

_Wait, Ran, focus,_ she suddenly told herself, slapping herself on the cheeks. Without pause, Ran rushed to her bedroom and opened the desk drawer, pulling out her "fingerprinting kit". If Shinichi was really going to show up, then she'd use the chance to get his fingerprints. That way, she'd be able to compare them to Conan's and finally make some sort of conclusion.

Would the two match? Would she discover than Conan was Shinichi?

Ran felt her heart suddenly skip a beat at the possibility. All this time, after nearly a year of uncomfortable suspicions, she was going to know one way or the other. She had to thank Shinichi's mother for making the suggestion. Now she would finally be able to move on with her life.

Still, the prospect scared her. Ran recognized that no matter the outcome, her life would be changed. Ran wondered if she was ready for it. Mindlessly, she pulled out the laminated sheet that contained Conan's prints, holding them up to the light. Again, she reminisced about how small the fingerprints appeared, perhaps in comparison to his larger than life character. She also reminisced about Conan's recent string of strange behaviors. When she had asked him about it, he had naturally shrugged it off, claimed to be fine. _Just like Shinichi_, Ran added. Ran wondered if, supposing that she discovered his identity, he'd reveal more about his situation, allow her to share his burden.

"First thing's first," Ran mumbled, putting Conan's prints back into the drawer. She then tucked the fingerprinting kit inside her purse and set out to leave. Just as she reached the door, she heard Conan call out to her.

"Ran-neechan, where are you going?" Conan asked.

_You know where I'm going_, Ran wanted to say. Instead, she replied, "Just heading out for a bit. Take care of the house, okay?"

"Hai! Itterashai," Conan said, waving goodbye.

Ran nodded as she left, letting the door close behind her. For the moment, all she could think about was the upcoming meeting and trying to obtain Shinichi's fingerprints. What she did not realize, however, was that her meeting with Shinichi would start a series of events that would alter their lives forever.

* * *

Ran shifted her weight nervously, switching from one foot to the other. She was wondering when Shinichi'd show up, and what he'd look like then, and what he'd say to her, and- It wasn't long before Ran's thoughts began spiraling out of control.

"Calm down," she mumbled to herself, pulling out her phone. "No call from Shinichi yet," she said, glancing at the time and realizing that she was actually fifteen minutes early. She must have rushed here faster than she thought. With a sigh, Ran put the phone away and turned her attention to her surroundings. It was almost summer vacation and the area was starting to fill up with tourists: couples, families with kids, tour groups, and the like. As she was thinking about all the different types of tourists, one such person walked up to her, holding a map.

"Ah, excuse me," the man asked, "Could you help me with this? I think I'm a little lost."

"What are you looking for?" Ran asked, turning her attention to the map in the man's hand.

"Eto, I believe it's in Block 39. The Mouri Detective Agency?"

"Oh, are you looking for my father?" Ran asked, surprised.

"Ah, are you Mouri Ran?"

"Hai."

"I see," the man replied, a sudden smirk forming on his face. "I'll need you to come with me then."

"Eh?" Ran asked. That's when she suddenly felt something sharp poke against her back. She immediately recognized it to be a knife. "Who are you and what do you want?" Ran demanded.

"Shhh, not so loud," the man replied, pressing the knife just a tad bit deeper. "Just follow me and no one gets hurt."

Ran glanced around, wondering if she should call for help. With the position they were in, her karate wouldn't be very effective.

"Don't even try calling for help," the man said, as if reading her mind, "Or I'll start killing everyone here."

"I got it," Ran conceded.

"Good. Now follow me," the man said, leading Ran into a nondescript white van.

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap," Shinichi mumbled, checking his cellphone clock as he ran through the streets of Tokyo. He was supposed to have met Ran by the Haido City Ferris Wheel nearly thirty minutes ago. But thanks to the anesthetic effects of the new antidote, he had been knocked out cold for an entire hour. "Why didn't Haibara warn me?" Shinichi groaned, turning the last corner before he made it to the base of the Ferris wheel. He quickly stopped, bending over to pant a few times before lifting his head to look around. After scanning the entire area though, he realized Ran was no where to be seen. "That's weird. She definitely left before me," he mumbled.

_"She...stood...you...up..." _the voice in his head offered.

Shinichi ignored it though, instead flipping open his phone and dialing Ran's number. To his surprise, he heard the number out of service reply. "Is her phone out of power?" Shinichi wondered, stopping to think what his next step should be. "Maybe she doubled back to the agency?" he wondered aloud. He tried calling the detective agency, but after ringing several times, the call went to voice mail. "Why isn't anyone picking up?"

Just then, a sudden fear ran through Shinichi's head. _Could it be them?_

Without a second's pause, Shinichi bee-lined it back to the agency, bursting through the door once he arrived. "Ran?! Occhan?!" Shinichi called, his eyes darting around.

"Eh? Who is it?" came a groggy voice from the couch. It was Kogoro, who appeared to be in the middle of an afternoon nap.

"Occhan," Shinichi said, sighing in relief when he saw that the man was okay. He walked closer and then asked, "Ne Occhan, have you seen Ran?"

"Ran? She went out earlier," Kogoro replied, rubbing his eyes as if still half asleep. Then, suddenly realizing who had entered the agency, his eyes shot wide open. "You! What are you doing here, Tantei-bouzu? Why are you asking about Ran?" Kogoro jumped up, now much more animated than he was previously.

"Ran and I were supposed to meet at the Haido City Ferris Wheel, but she didn't show up. I thought she might have come back here," Shinichi explained.

"Meet-" Kogoro stuttered, "Wait, were you two going out on a date?! I won't allow it!"

"Calm down, it wasn't like that," Shinichi tried to say, but Kogoro wouldn't give him any room to speak.

"And for one thing, I never got a chance to straight you out after you sexually harassed my Ran on the plane!" Kogoro shouted.

"You're still hung up on that?" Shinichi exclaimed, "And I told you already that it was a misunderstanding!"

"I'm sure," Kogoro said sarcastically, "You were definitely-"

Before the argument could continue, the noise of the fax machine suddenly interrupted, causing both Kogoro and Shinichi to turn their heads. They watched as a piece of paper slowly emerged from the machine before dropping to the ground.

"A case?" Shinichi asked. He moved over and picked up the page, almost as if by reflex.

"Hey, don't just read other people's mail!" Kogoro exclaimed, rushing over. Shinichi was already in the middle of reading though, his eyes opening wide once he saw the contents of the letter. Instantly, he tossed the letter aside; Kogoro managed to catch it before it dropped to the ground. In the time it took him to recover the letter though, Shinichi had already sprinted out the door.

"Oi! Why the heck are you in such a rush?!" Kogoro yelled, turning his attention to the letter. His question was quickly answered though as he read it; his hands trembled as he reached the end. "Ran!"

* * *

Out on the streets of Tokyo, Shinichi was once again in full sprint, dodging people left and right as he tried to make his way through the afternoon crowd. The only thing on his mind was the contents of the letter he had just read, which went as follows:

Dear Mouri Kogoro,

I hope your life is going well. I wonder if you still remember me? If you don't, you will soon enough. At any rate, I am writing this to inform you that I have kidnapped your daughter and am currently holding her captive in a certain location. Since I am a nice person, I will give you a clue about where to find me. All you have to do is pay attention to the following recipe:

How to Skin a Horse:

1. To start with, obtain a _horse_.  
2. Carefully remove the _bowels_.  
3. Decorate the head with some _garlic_.  
4. Use _eyes _to replace the _bowels_.  
5. Carve out the middle and then cut the meat in half.  
6. Swap the counts of the two halves.  
7. Once preparations are complete, yell _Oi_ at the middle of the latter half to loosen the meat.

Best of luck, Detective Mouri Kogoro,  
-The Night's Shadow

Given the presumed time of disappearance and the timing of the message, the kidnapper was likely still in Tokyo. And if that were the case, Shinichi could only think of a couple of places that fit the bill, one of which he was heading towards at the moment.

"Wait for me, Ran!"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Can you figure out the notice? Post an answer in the review!


	47. Arc Five: That Broke The Camel's Back

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

_Ran! Where are you, Ran? _

_"What...she...mean...to...you?"_

"Ran!" Shinichi called as he barged through the doors of the empty building, hinges squeaking loudly as they gave way, which along with his voice, echoed throughout the room. Not pausing for breath, his eyes instantly scanned around for any movement, though to his disappointment, the place was completely deserted, save for the occasional spider web hanging from the corners of walls.

Taking a cautious step forward, Shinichi moved deeper in, wanting to be certain that Ran wasn't there. His foot creaked on the old floorboards as he did so, a moaning sound not unlike those heard in horror movies. Shinichi didn't let the noise distract him, however, so focused was he on his singular goal: finding Ran.

With one final glance around, and confirming that the place was indeed empty, Shinichi rushed outside again, retrieving his cellphone with one fluid motion and used it to check the time- three thirty.

"Three hours," Shinichi mumbled silently, "Damn it. Where are you Ran?" Again from his pocket, Shinichi pulled out a map of Tokyo and crossed out the location he was currently at, ruling it out as a possibility and leaving four more similar places to check. "Which one should I go to next?" Shinichi wondered as his ears began to ring. His head began to spin for a moment, but he fought the urge to collapse. He couldn't be stopped here. "I have to find Ran," he said through gritted teeth, holding his head in pain.

_"What...she mean...to...you?" _the voice said, repeating its earlier question.

"Shut up, now's really not the time," Shinichi replied, hardly even processing what the voice had asked. Then with all his strength, Shinichi forced himself to move, walking in the general direction of the next location.

_"You...love...her?"_ the voice asked, persistent as usual.

The question almost caused Shinichi to trip. Though he was used to the nagging voice in his head, and had learned well to ignore it, this time, it had caught him by surprise. _Love? _

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Ran asked. Her hands and feet were still bound together tightly by ropes, restricting any possible movement. That and the fact that the kidnapper was armed made her situation particularly dangerous. Still, Ran found the silence even more unsettling, hence her question. When the kidnapper didn't answer, she tried again, "Why did you kidnap me?"

"You're starting to get on my nerves. D'you want me to tape your mouth shut?" the kidnapper asked.

Ran shook her head. "I'll be quiet," she mumbled, turning her gaze towards the dusty floor, not that the dirt bothered her in the slightly, especially at this point. She wondered for a moment what was to become of her, if she stayed in this man's grasps. Would she, like she had seen on television, be sold as a slave? Or was this more about ransom money? Ransom money from her father? Or perhaps it was her mother? There were too many questions floating around in Ran's head and she wasn't of the particular disposition to answer any of them. She had seen enough of her father's cases though to know that things might not end so well. In the first place, she had seen the kidnapper's face, which was never a good sign for a hostage. Moreover, the kidnapper felt no need to gag her, meaning that even if she yelled, no one would hear. That was no surprise though, given their current location.

Ran sighed, wondering how the day had turned out like this. Looking over to her side, she noticed her purse, just lying there. "Maybe this is divine retribution," she mumbled, catching the attention of the kidnapper.

"What's that?" he asked, turning Ran's direction.

"Ah, nothing," Ran said softly. _Right, this is retribution for lying to Shinichi all this time, for trying to go behind his back. _

At the thought of Shinichi, Ran felt her will begin to break down, the brave face she had put up till now starting to show cracks. _I'm afraid_, Ran finally admitted, _I'm scared._ Involuntarily, her body began to tremble, though Ran struggled to prevent the kidnapper from seeing. From the corner of her eyes, Ran felt tears forming. _I'm afraid, Shinichi_. She was supposed to meet with him, so by now, he'd know something was wrong, right? _Save me, Shinichi._ He find her, right? He'd find her and everything would be okay. Just like always. _SHINICHI!_

* * *

"I got here as soon as I could. What's wrong, Mouri-san?" Megure asked as he walked into the detective agency with Takagi following behind.

"Keibu, take a look at this," Kogoro said, giving over the notice with a shaky hand.

It took Megure a moment to read the notice before he exclaimed, "This is a kidnapping!" Kogoro nodded his head. "When did you get this?" Megure asked.

"Three hours ago," Kogoro replied.

"T-three hours?! Why didn't you contact the police sooner?" Megure asked, "Being a former officer, you should know that's what you do in these situations!"

"I-I was trying to find her," Kogoro admitted.

Megure just sighed, realizing how difficult the situation must be. "Has the kidnapper contacted you since?"

Kogoro shook his head.

"Takagi-kun, what do you make of this?" Megure asked, handing over the notice.

Takagi read the notice before replying, "It's not a typical kidnapping, Keibu. There aren't any demands."

"Yes, I found that odd too," Megure replied, "just a riddle. He's not asking for any money."

"Which means, we'll have to solve his riddle to find Ran-san," Takagi conclude, glancing up at Kogoro, who looked devastated. "I'll give Satou-san a call and see if she has any clues."

Megure nodded, then turned to Kogoro. "Don't worry, Mouri-san. We'll find her."

"Hai," Kogoro said softly.

* * *

"Kaito, where the heck are you?" Aoko asked over the phone.

"Tokyo," Kaito replied. He had just gotten out of the subway station when Aoko called. A quick glance at his call log showed that she had been trying to reach him for a good part of the day. "Sorry, I was underground before."

"Why are you in Tokyo? You know we had school today, right?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Kaito said mindlessly as he tried to make his way through the afternoon crowd.

"What do you mean, 'yeah'? Kaito, people in class are worried. Is everything alright? You've been missing school a lot these past few weeks. I'm worried too-"

"It's nothing really," Kaito replied, holding the phone with his shoulder as he bought some junk food from a vending machine. He hadn't eaten since morning and was starving. "By the way, Aoko," he continued, ripping open the bag of chips, "Can you tell the teacher I'm going to be absent next week as well?"

"Eh?!" Aoko exclaimed, so loudly that Kaito almost dropped the phone, "It's finals week, Kaito!"

"Sorry, an emergency came up," Kaito replied.

"What 'emergency'?! Kaito, you know what happens if you miss the finals, right? At best, you'll have to take remedial courses over the summer. At worst, you'll be held back a year!"

"Sorry, Aoko. I know," Kaito said, "But this is important. Please tell the teacher for me."

"Kaito? Kaito!" Aoko called, but instead of responding, Kaito hung up the phone.

"I'm really sorry, Aoko," Kaito mumbled, "I'd be great if we were all in class together next year but...there's someone that I just can't leave alone."

Putting his phone away, Kaito began heading towards the Mouri Detective Agency.

* * *

"Is it true? Ran-chan's been kidnapped?" Satou asked as she burst through the door of the agency.

Megure nodded, "Here's the notice the kidnapper sent."

Satou took the paper in hand and read it, a perplexed look crossing her face when she was done. "What is this, a riddle?"

"We think so," Takagi replied, "And solving it is the key to finding Ran-san."

"Hm, a recipe on how to skin a horse," Satou read, "Well, it's pretty obvious this isn't meant to be taken literally."

"What do you mean?" Megure asked.

"I've skinned horses before and this isn't how you do it," Satou replied.

"A-ah, I see," Takagi and Megure replied in unison, wondering what else Satou was keeping from them.

"Anyways, with the four of us here, and especially the famous Sleeping Kogoro, we'll solve this in no time, right?" Satou asked, directing her question at Kogoro, causing him to look up. "You are the famous Sleeping Kogoro, ne?" Satou pressed.

"O-of course, bwahaha," Kogoro laughed, his ego thoroughly stroked. "Don't you worry, Ran, I'll solve this in no time. Then I'll show that kidnapper what's what," he said, throwing up a fist.

"That's the spirit," Satou said, slapping Kogoro on the back, "Shall we start from the beginning then? Anyone notice anything?"

"Well, I've been thinking this for a while now, but why are certain words italicized," Takagi pointed out, "Like horse, bowels, garlic, eyes, and oi?"

"It's true," Megure said.

"I think it might be the key to solving the riddle," Takagi concluded.

"I got it!" Kogoro suddenly yelled, surprising everyone in the room. "You just put the words together. Let's see, uh, 'Oi, garlic horse bowels eyes'?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Mouri-san?" Megure asked.

"Maybe it's, 'Eyes! Garlic horse bowels. Oi!'?" Kogoro tried again.

"That still doesn't make much sense," Takagi said, causing Kogoro to sigh. "Ah, but don't worry, we just have to keep trying," he quickly added.

"That's right," Satou chimed in, "Mouri-san, I think you might be on to something."

* * *

"Ne, Kazuha?" Heiji called, looking up from his laptop.

"What?" Kazuha replied, her voice coming from the kitchen. After having insisted that he come over for dinner, Kazuha had been in the kitchen all afternoon, making what smelled like chicken curry. The mixture of aromas had Heiji's mouth watering, but he tried his best to ignore it, instead focusing on the matter at hand.

"Ya know anythin' about sleepin' disorders?" he asked.

"Ya have trouble sleepin'?" was the reply.

"Not me, someone I know."

"Hm, let's see," Kazuha said as she entered the living room. She was wearing her usual apron for cooking, the one with the flowers, but for some reason, Heiji thought she looked prettier than usual. It was becoming a recurring feeling, every since he and Kazuha had started dating. Kazuha, noticing Heiji staring, asked, "What is it?"

"Ah, nothing. It's just, that apron's pretty ancient, isn't it?"

Though Heiji meant that the apron still looked nice after all its usage, Kazuha misunderstood it as an insult to her sense of fashion, naturally leading her to retort, "Well, I'm sorry I dress like an old lady."

"Ha?" Heiji wondered, confused by what he saw as an unwarranted remark. Before he had a chance to say another word, Kazuha stormed back into the kitchen. "What's up with her?" Heiji wondered once Kazuha was gone. "Wait, could it be that time of month?" He had heard stories and read things on the internet about it after all. Then, shaking his head, he forced himself to refocus. He was supposed to be doing research to help Conan.

Based on what Ran had told him, Heiji surmised that Conan was having trouble sleeping due to some trauma-induced nightmare. If he could find some way help Conan overcome the trauma, he figured Conan would be back to his usual self in no time. "Like it or not, Kudo, I'm gonna help ya," Heiji determined as he continued scrolling through the pages on his laptop, busy reading an article about dreams. Suddenly, something caught his eye. "Dr. Redgrace, a renowned psychologist in the Japan area, has recently pioneered new studies with regards to psychoanalysis. Former patients have told journalists that the good doctor was instrumental to their overcoming of PTSD and other psychological related disorders."

"That's it!" Heiji exclaimed, leaping out of his seat. "I'll just have to go find this Dr. Redgrace!"

* * *

"Um, Satou-san?" Takagi asked, wondering if he should be disturbing the woman, given how deep in thought she appeared to be. Satou was busy scribbling things down on a piece of scrap paper. When she heard her name being called, she put the pencil down and looked up.

"What is it, Takagi-kun?"

"Ano, what are you doing, Satou-san?" Takagi asked. He glanced down at the plethora of words on the paper, however, none of it made much sense to him.

"Just testing out a theory," Satou replied, "Mouri-san gave me an idea."

"I did?" Kogoro asked, surprised.

Satou nodded, "I think the answer has to do with the words. So I've been playing around with them, combining them together in different orders. But thus far, I haven't gotten anything that makes sense."

"Garlichorse?" Takagi asked, reading off one of the words written down.

"It says to decorate the head with garlic right? So I put the word garlic at the head of the word horse," Satou explained.

"I see, that does make sense," Megure said.

"Except garlichorse doesn't seem meaningful in anyway," Satou sighed.

Just then, the fax machine could be heard, signalling the arrival of a new fax. Instantly all eyes in the room turned, with Kogoro running over to pick up the incoming sheets.

"Is it from the kidnapper?" Takagi asked.

"It's from the police headquarters, for Megure-keibu," Kogoro replied, disappointed and relieved at the same time.

"Oh, thank you," Megure said, taking the fax.

"What is it, Keibu?" Satou asked, leaning over so that she could see.

"I asked headquarters to see if they had any information on the kidnapper, The Night's Shadow," Megure explained.

"And?" Kogoro asked, leaping over.

"Well, according to this," Megure began, his eyes scanning the page, "he's committed similar crimes before, but he's never been caught. His MO seems to be leaving behind a broken watch next to his victim's-" Megure paused, catching himself before he finished the sentence. However, it was too late; Kogoro already figured it out for himself, without needing Megure to finish.

"H-he kills them," Kogoro said, his face growing pale, "That's why he's never been caught."

"We still have time, Mouri-san," Megure said, putting a hand on Kogoro's shoulder to comfort him.

"This might be abrupt, but where's Conan-kun?" Takagi suddenly asked, causing Kogoro to look up, though his eyes showed that he hadn't really heard the question. "Conan-kun's usually pretty good with these kinds of riddles, right? Maybe he can-"

Before Takagi could finish his sentence, he felt a slap across the back of his head. Turning around, he saw that it was Satou. "Baka!" she yelled, "Baka, baka, baka."

"Satou-san?" Takagi asked, surprised.

"How can you so easily rely on him? Do you not have pride as an officer?" Satou asked.

"Ano, Satou-san, I don't think it's really about pride," Takagi said slowly, "Ran-san's life is at stake here. Shouldn't we use every possible resource to find the culprit?"

"He's not a resource! He's a child," Satou snapped angrily, causing the room to fall into silence. No one was sure what to say in response. Eventually Satou continued. "Lately, I've been thinking that we as the police department depend too much on outside help," she said softly, "It's not like it's necessarily a bad thing, seeking help from others, especially if it will save lives. So you're right, Takagi-kun. We should do everything we can, even if that means asking a child like Conan-kun for help."

"Satou-san," Takagi mumbled.

"But-!" Satou continued, "We should only rely on others when we've done everything we can do. Sure, it might be easier to ask Conan-kun. But what about when he's gone? What about when he grows up, when he's not around anymore? If our first instinct is to ask for help, what will we do then? Won't our duty still be to serve and protect? Isn't that what it means to be a police officer?"

Finished voicing her thoughts, Satou sat back down on the couch and silently began working on the kidnapper's notice again. Takagi, feeling like he was just slapped in the face, wobbled on his feet for a moment, trying to take in the wake-up call he just received. He didn't waiver for long, however, quickly forming his resolve before sitting down next to Satou.

"Takagi-kun," Satou said, surprised by the look on Takagi's face. She thought he'd be mad at her after she lectured him, but instead, he looked more determined than she had ever seen him.

"You're right, Satou-san," Takagi admitted, his eyes still on the notice. He couldn't bring himself to look Satou in the eyes, at least, not at the moment. "It's our job to serve and protect. While we can ask for outside help, ultimately, the responsibility rests on our shoulders. They taught us that at the academy, but it seems I had forgotten. Thank you for reminding me."

Satou smiled, finding herself particularly drawn to Takagi whenever he was serious like this. "Alright, let's solve this riddle and get Ran-chan back safely."

Takagi nodded, then pointed to the notice. "Look at this part, Satou-san."

"Carefully remove the _bowels_," Satou read, "What about it?"

"What if it's not carefully remove the **bowels**, but carefully remove the **vowels**?" Takagi suggested.

"I see! A pun," Satou said, scribbling something down on the scrap paper. "That would mean it goes something like this. If we start with the word HORSE, and then remove the vowels, we get HRS."

"And now you add GARLIC to the beginning, like you did before," Takagi continued.

"GARLICHRS," Satou said, writing it down. She then moved to the next line of the instructions, "Use EYES to replace the BOWELS. Another pun?"

"Maybe not EYES but 'I's," Takagi said. Satou nodded.

"That means, it goes from GARLICHRS to GIRLICHRS."

"And carving out the middle probably means removing the middle letter," Takagi said.

"So, GIRLCHRS. And now we cut it in half. GIRL CHRS," Satou said.

"Swapping the counts would mean making what's plural singular and what's singular plural. So now it's GIRLS CHR," Takagi said.

"And if we add OI to the second half, the only word that makes sense is-"

"GIRLS CHOIR!" Satou and Takagi exclaimed in unison. "We got it!"

"Girls choir?" Megure asked, "That's the hint?"

Satou nodded. "The only places that have a girls choir are churches, which means that Ran is probably being held in a church somewhere."

"And it'd have to be an abandoned one. There's no way he could hold her hostage in a church that's actively being used," Takagi added. Then turning to Kogoro, he asked, "How long after Ran disappeared did the notice come in?"

"How long?" Kogoro repeated, suddenly remembering what Shinichi had said about meeting with Ran, "No more than one or two hours."

"I see," Satou said, "That means he's probably still in the Tokyo area. Megure-keibu, please send units to all abandoned churches in the Tokyo area. The kidnapper and Ran should be in one of those."

"Alright, I'll get on it!" Megure said, running to the police car to use the radio. Just before he left the room, he turned around and said, "Good job, you two."

"Hai!" Takagi and Satou said. They then turned towards each other and smiled.

* * *

"This is the last one," Shinichi said, looking up from his panting position. He was barely standing, his hands pushed against his legs to stay upright. Across his forehead, sweat was gathering; drop after drop rolled down his face, blurring his vision. He was breathing heavily, though it was no surprise given that he had been running around Tokyo for five straight hours. Finally though, he was at the last possible location, the last abandoned church. Ran had to be here.

_"Just...lucky...you...are..." _the voice commented sarcastically, but Shinichi ignored it, and instead, pushed open the doors of the church, taking a step inside.

"Ran!" he called, his voice echoing through the building, "Ran, answer me!"

"Shinichi? Shinichi is that you?" came the reply from the far corner. Instantly, Shinichi's eyes turned in that direction, just after his feet started running. As he approached, he noticed that Ran was bound, lying on the ground. Next to her was a man, presumably her kidnapper.

"Let her go," Shinichi demanded, his muscles tensing in case the kidnapper made any sudden movements.

To his surprise though, the man looked up lazily and asked, "Who the hell are you, kid?"

"Kudo Shinichi, detective," Shinichi replied, using all his energy to force a grin onto his face.

"Kudo Shinichi? Never heard of you," the man shrugged, standing up. He pulled a gun out of his back pocket and held it up, the barrel right in line with Shinichi's forehead.

"Shinichi!" Ran yelled.

"Shut up!" the kidnapper snapped, kicking Ran in the stomach. He then turned to Shinichi and continued, "I'm not sure how you found this place, kid, but I have no beef with you. I was only paid to kidnap the girl and kill Mouri Kogoro when he arrived. Naturally, I plan to kill the girl as well, but hey, that's got nothing to do with you, right? So why don't you just walk on out of here." The kidnapper then lowered his gun and continued, "Look, see? I'll put the gun down. Why don't you take my generous offer and scram."

"Shinichi," Ran mumbled, looking helpless at the situation. Upon hearing his name, Shinichi turned in Ran's direction and gave her a smile, as if telling her that everything would be okay, that he was here now. Ran could feel tears starting to form in her eyes as a sense of relief set in.

Turning away from Ran, Shinichi returned his attention to the kidnapper. With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, "Sorry, that's an offer I'm just not willing to take."

The kidnapper, upon hearing the reply, growled, gun again raised towards Shinichi's head. "You little fucker. Don't say I didn't give you the chance."

"What chance? You were going to shoot me the second I turned my back anyways," Shinichi said, trying to buy some time. His eyes quickly scanned around, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. "After all, I saw your face, didn't I?" Shinichi asked as he continued to stall.

"Hm, maybe you're right," the kidnapper replied, a wicked grin on his face, "In that case, I suppose you were prepared to die from the start. Allow me to grant your wish." The kidnapper cocked the gun back, ready to fire.

"Ah, wait a minute, don't you want to know about how I solved your riddle?" Shinichi asked. _There__!_ he thought, his eyes finding an empty paint can about seven feet away. _If I sprint, I can make it_._ Just need to buy a little more time.__  
_

_"Let...me...take...over...I...can...do...it," _the voice said, possibly with the worst timing ever. Shinichi could feel his ears ringing again. _Not now! I can't be distracted now by you, _he thought, shaking the voice away. Then turning to the kidnapper, he asked, "Aren't you curious how I found this place?" _That's right. No criminal can resist hearing about their brilliant schemes. I just need to buy a little more time._

To Shinichi's surprise, the kidnapper shrugged. "Not really. Someone mailed the notice for me. I don't even know what it said."

"Someone?" Shinichi asked. _What's going on?!_

Before Shinichi could figure anything out, the kidnapper interrupted his thoughts, "Enough talk. Any last words, kid, before I blow your brains out?"

_This is it. I have to do it now,_ Shinichi determined. With a smile, he turned towards Ran. "I do have something to say," Shinichi began, "Ran, I love you, in this world, more than anyone else. Let's be together, always."

"Shinichi," Ran mumbled as tears started streaming down her face.

"Aw, cute. Well, you two can be together in the afterlife," the kidnapper said, again cocking the gun.

_Wait for it. Wait for it, _Shinichi thought silently, his eyes trained on the gun. _Now!_

Just as the trigger was pulled, Shinichi leaped to the side, avoiding the bullet that would have certainly ended his life. Surprised, the kidnapper hesitated for a moment before relocating his target. That was all the time Shinichi needed to run to the paint can. With one powerful kick, he sent the can flying, smacking the kidnapper right in the face, knocking the man out cold. The man dropped to the ground with a thud.

Instantly, Shinichi sprinted to where Ran was and quickly untied her. He then went to retrieve the gun, returning to Ran when he was done. Ran, now free from the ropes, leaped into Shinichi's arms, holding him in a tight embrace.

"I was so scared, Shinichi," Ran said, tears still streaming down her face, "I-I tried to be brave, but-" Ran stopped, her words getting caught in her throat.

"Shhh, it's okay now. I've got you," Shinichi said, stroking Ran's head gently. "Remember what I said? I meant it."

At that, Ran's eyes opened wide and she couldn't help but keep crying. Even though it probably made her look silly, even though she was supposed to be happy that she was saved, for some reason, the tears wouldn't stop. "Shinichi, I missed you, so much," Ran managed, her voice muffled by Shinichi's chest.

"I know," Shinichi said, "I know. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long."

"Shinichi," Ran said, lifting her head, "Okaeri."

At that, Shinichi smiled and looked down, "Tadaima."

Upon seeing Shinichi smile, Ran felt herself smile as well. She managed to sit up so that she was now directly across from Shinichi. Hesitating for a moment, she began, "Ne, Shinichi, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it, Ran?" Shinichi asked, his face emanating a calm that gave Ran the strength to continue.

_I should tell him. I can't lie to him anymore_, Ran thought. "Shinichi, the truth is-" Ran said, but paused when something caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, Ran noticed the kidnapper twitching, as if waking up. "Shinichi!" Ran shouted, pointing his attention to what was happening. She was a tad too late, however, as the kidnapper suddenly got up and made a mad dash for the door.

"Damn, he's not going to get away," Shinichi said, jumping up, about to follow after the kidnapper. He stopped when he felt a tug at his shirt though. Turning around, he saw that it was Ran, who had reflexively grabbed onto the hem of Shinichi's clothes.

"Shinichi, don't leave me," she said, her facing like one about to burst into tears. Shinichi knelt down and placed a hand on Ran's head.

"I'll never leave you, Ran," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Call the police, okay? I'm going to go catch that guy and I'll be right back."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Shinichi said as he took off after the criminal, leaving Ran alone in the abandoned church.

Ran sat motionless for a moment, a familiar feeling washing over her. How many times had he just left her like this? How many times had he said he'd be right back, but then never returned. Was it happening all over again? Would he disappear from her life again? Ran shook her head. "He promised he'd be back," she mumbled, "He promised."

Taking Shinichi's phone, she dialed 1-1-0, the emergency number for police. Once the operator picked up, Ran explained her situation. Since she wasn't blind folded on the way there, she even managed to give the operator an address. After she finished, the operator told her to stay on the line. Ran, however, wanted some time alone, to think. Despite the operator's protests, Ran hung up the phone, holding it gingerly with two hands. Without thinking much, she began to move.

"He promised," she said as she looked at the empty doorway of the church. "He promised," she said as she scooted over to her purse. "He promised," she said as she pulled out the fingerprinting kit. "He promised," she said as she went through the process of lifting the prints. "He promised," she said as she held up the prints- Shinichi's prints.

"This is it," Ran mumbled, "If I compare these to the ones in my purse, I'll know for certain whether Shinichi is Conan. I'll know." Ran felt her hand reach over to her purse, but then stop, as if a force field prevented her from continuing. It wasn't long before the hand began trembling. "I can't do it after all," she cried, dropping Shinichi's fingerprints onto the ground. _I can't lie to him like this. This isn't the way I want to find out._

Just as she was thinking this, a sudden noise surprised her. Ran quickly stuffed Shinichi's fingerprints into her purse, then looked up, noticing that it was police sirens.

"They're here already?" Ran wondered, "I called less than five minutes ago."_  
_

The sirens drew closer before they stopped. Ran could hear the sound of a door opening and closing, followed by the footsteps of someone running into the church. Instantly a figure made its appearance, calling out, "Ran-chan? Are you here?"

"Satou-keiji!" Ran exclaimed.

* * *

"Stop running!" Shinichi yelled as he sprinted after the kidnapper. The kidnapper looked back momentarily but didn't stop, instead making his way onto a deserted footbridge. "This guy," Shinichi mumbled as he pumped his legs even faster, closing the distance between the kidnapper and himself. It wasn't long before he caught up, tackling the man from behind, causing the both of them to tumble onto the surface of the bridge. Below, the sound of rapid water could be heard, threatening to wash away anything that fell in.

"Stop struggling," Shinichi said, trying to hold the kidnapper's arms behind his back, "The police will be here soon."

Upon hear those words, the kidnapper suddenly gained a burst of strength, enough to break free from Shinichi's hold. Without pause, he pushed Shinichi away, slamming him against the rails of the footbridge.

"Ittai," Shinichi grumbled, rubbing his bruised head where a bump was sure to form. Wobbly, he pulled himself up off the ground, using the handrail as a support. As he stood, he noticed that he was bleeding slightly, the blood starting to drip into his eye.

_"It...hurts...doesn't...it? I...can...take...the...pain,_" the voice said. Instantly, Shinichi's ears began ringing again and for a moment, Shinichi felt like he was going to lose consciousnesses.

_Stay away. Don't come out._

_"I...can...help..."_

"I said, Stay away!" Shinichi shouted, his hand gripping his bloodied head as well as covering his left eye. With his right, he noticed that the kidnapper was limping away, the fall evidently having taken its toll. "You're not getting away," Shinichi said, making off after the kidnapper.

As he approached, the kidnapper suddenly pulled out a knife, swinging it back and forth as he said, "Don't come any closer. I'm warning you!"

Shinichi looked down at the man's ankle, which was clearly twisted in the wrong direction, likely due to the fall from before. Pointing to it with his free hand, Shinichi said, "How far do you think you're going to get with that?"

"I can't be caught. I can't be caught," the kidnapper mumbled, almost as if chanting. "If I get caught, who knows what They'll do to me?"

At that, Shinichi's eyes instantly narrowed. "They? Who's They?" Shinichi demanded.

"I can't be caught. I can't be caught," the kidnapper repeated, evidently not having heard Shinichi's question.

"Oi!" Shinichi said, pushing himself off the handrail so that he could move closer to the kidnapper. He put both hands down to his sides, each balling into a fist. "Answer me!"

Suddenly broken from his trance like state, the kidnapper looked up, locking glances with Shinichi. Instantly, the kidnapper eyes opened wide, as if horrified by what he saw. Before him was a teenager, with blood dripping down the left side of his face. But that's not what scared the kidnapper. No, it wasn't the blood. It was the left eye. While the right eye was still blue, the left had turned violet. While the right eye still held a human expression, the left held something much more, or perhaps, much less.

"Monster," the kidnapper whispered, pressing his back against the handrail as Shinichi approached. "Monster! Monster! Monster!"

"W-what?" Shinichi exclaimed, confused by the kidnapper's words, "Calm down. Tell me who hired you!"

"Stay back, stay away!" the kidnapper cried, swiping his knife through the air, pushing himself back as he tried to increased the distance between Shinichi and himself. The kidnapper tried too hard, though, and end up flipping himself over the edge of the rail.

Instantly, Shinichi rushed forward to try and grab the man. He was a step too late, however, reaching the rail just as the man tumbled over the edge into the rapid river below. Shinichi looked over, wonder if the man had somehow survived, found something to grab onto, but all signs pointed to him being swallowed by the water.

The kidnapper was gone. Behind, he left but one thing, a word, a sound that still lingered in the air.

"Monster."

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

I'll admit, I had a devilishly good time writing this chapter :D So I hope it was an enjoyable read.

Btw, congratulations to everyone who managed to solve the riddle :)

And finally, a (shameless) self-plug, I've begun writing an original fiction over at fictionpress under the pen-name **jands**! If anyone is kind enough to show some support and take a peek at it, I'd be ecstatic! The title is **Fourteen** and it is a story about how fourteen people come together to change the world. Here's the link for anyone interested. Granted, it's not DC fanfic, but maybe some of you will be interested? :)

**fictionpress com/s/3146893/1/Fourteen**

Just add the dot. Also, you can use your fanfic account to follow and whatnot (look at me getting ahead of myself :P)

Cheers!


	48. Arc Five: A New Hope

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Because of your awesome support, this story has reached over half a thousand reviews! Keep 'em coming :DDD

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

_"Monster..." Shut up._ Shinichi didn't want to think about how he might have just forced a man to his death.

_"Monster..." Shut up._ Shinichi didn't want to think about the fearful look in the man's eyes right before he fell.

_"Monster..."_

"I said, Shut the fuck up!" Shinichi yelled, hands covering his ears, trying to block out the voice. He could feel himself losing control again, feel _it_ becoming increasingly stronger. If he wasn't careful, he'd blackout, wake up hours later with little to no memory of the events that transpired. Panting, Shinichi forced himself to take another step forward, back towards the abandoned church. The image of Ran, waiting for him, kept him sane, fueled his determination to push back the encroaching darkness.

"That's right, Ran's still waiting for me," Shinichi managed, "I-I promised her. I promised her I'd be back."

Time and again, he had made the same promise. Time and again, he had broken it, in pursuit of a case, never to return. But this time would be different. This time, he'd keep his promise, even if he had to die trying. Though he couldn't understand it in any logical terms, could not wrap his analytic mind around it, Shinichi felt it. He could feel that, if he were to break his promise this time, he'd lose Ran, forever. That's why he had to keep going. That's why he had to return.

Step by painful step, Shinichi moved forward.

The dead kidnapper didn't matter. Who hired him didn't matter. The bruise on his head didn't matter. The blood on his face didn't matter. The voice in his head didn't matter.

Only one thing mattered: Ran.

* * *

"Papa, look, I made a paper plane," Naku said. He held it up for Etanoru to see, waving it around in the air.

"Oh, does it fly?" Etanoru asked.

"Of course!" Naku exclaimed, "Watch!" Holding it between his fingers, Naku pulled his hand back and then shot it forward, letting the plane loose. The plane made a couple of awkward spirals through the air before crashing to the ground. Naku ran over to retrieve the plane, an obvious pout on his face. Etanoru just laughed.

"Come here, Naku. I'll show you how it's done," he said. Instantly, Naku jumped onto his father's lap, waiting in anticipation as Etanoru grabbed one of the sheets of the report he had been reading. "See, you first fold it like this. And then you fold this part here," Etanoru instructed, moving the paper back and forth. It wasn't long before the shape of a plane took form. "And then you're done," Etanoru said, holding out the finished product.

"I want to try it!" Naku said, jumping off onto the ground. He then grabbed the plane and threw it, watching in awe as it traveled all the way to the other end of the room, landing gracefully by the door. "That was amazing, Papa!"

"See? It's like I told you," Etanoru said.

"Un!" Naku nodded, a childish smile on his face. The smile quickly disappeared, however, when Etanoru suddenly began coughing. Worried, Naku ran over and asked, "Papa, what's wrong?"

"Just something caught in my throat," Etanoru replied, still coughing into his hand.

"Do you want some water?" Naku asked, his eyes searching around the room frantically.

Etanoru shook his head. "I'll be fine," he said, letting out another round of coughs.

When the coughing finally stopped, Etanoru took a deep breath to calm himself. "See? Papa's fine," he said, forcing out a smile. However, a worried expression still plagued Naku's face.

"Papa, what's that on your hand?" Naku asked.

Etanoru looked down and noticed that his hand was covered with blood. "A-ah this? I just spilled some ketchup during lunch," he quickly lied. Naku, though, didn't look convinced, his lips still in a frown. Thinking to change the topic, Etanoru said, "I've talked with Vermouth."

"Vermouth-neechan?" Naku asked.

Etanoru nodded. "I've arranged for the two of you to meet."

"Really? Yatta!" Naku exclaimed, the worry from before completely gone. "What should I do with her first, Papa? Build a sandcastle in the park? Or maybe get some ice cream? Or-"

Just as Naku was speaking, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Papa has work to do, now, Naku. So go play by yourself, okay?" Etanoru instructed.

"Hai!" Naku said with a nod.

Etanoru smiled, then directed his attention to the door. "Come in," he ordered.

"Boss," Mead said as he made his entrance, bowing slightly out of respect. That's when he noticed the paper plane on the ground. Bending down, he picked it up and asked, "This is-?"

"You can throw it in the trash," Etanoru replied.

"A-ah, okay," Mead said, tossing the plane away before he approached Etanoru's desk. "I have the report from this afternoon, with regards to Project Emergence."

"The girl's been found already?" Etanoru asked, taking the report off Mead's hands. He skimmed through the page, then burst out into laughter. "Is this true?" he asked, waving the page in the air.

"Hai. The observational crew noted down everything that they saw from the surveillance cameras. Of course, that included all the dialogue as well," Mead replied. Then noticing that Etanoru was still grinning, he asked, "What is it, Boss?"

"She took the time to pull his fingerprints from the phone."

"I'm sorry?" Mead asked, confused by Etanoru's answer.

"Things are turning about better than I had anticipated," Etanoru said, though Mead didn't feel that it clarified much.

After an awkward silence, Mead decided that it was time for him to take his leave. "If you'll excuse me then," he said, heading towards the door.

"Mead," Etanoru called, just before the man left.

"Yes?"

"Tell the driver to keep an eye out for the boy," Etanoru instructed.

"You think he's going to go to sleep?"

Etanoru nodded.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Call it a hunch," Etanoru replied.

"I see. I will tell the driver then," Mead said, long since having learned to trust the boss' hunches. With one final bow, he made to leave. Just as he was about to turn, however, something by the corner of the room caught his eye- the air vent grate, it was slightly tilted, as if someone had recently moved it.

"Is something the matter, Mead?" Etanoru asked, noticing Mead's hesitation.

"Ah, nothing, Boss," Mead quickly said, making his exit, wondering if he was just imagining things again.

* * *

As Kaito rounded the corner of the street, he was surprised to find a police car parked outside the Mouri Detective Agency. Quickly, he ducked behind the corner of a nearby building, peeking out only to take fleeting glances at his intended destination. As he looked on, his mind began to race, trying to find an explanation for the police presence. Had the police simply come to consult about a case? Or had something happened in the agency?

_Or maybe Kudo-kun-?_ Kaito thought before furiously shaking his head. What was he thinking? He had no evidence of such a thing and it was unlike him to jump to conclusions so quickly. _Take a deep breath_, Kaito told himself, trying to calm down, _You have a job to do._ Then with a nod of determination, Kaito reached into is backpack and pulled out one of his disguises- the school teacher. Putting in on, he came out from behind the building and moved towards the detective agency, walking up the stairs to the second floor. Just as he was about to knock on the door however, it opened. Out rushed Kogoro and Eri, both of whom ran into Kaito, knocking him backwards onto the ground.

"Ittai," Kaito mumbled, rubbing his head.

"I'm so sorry," Eri apologized offering a hand and pulling Kaito up off the ground.

"It's okay," Kaito replied.

"We're in a hurry, you see," Eri explained. At that, Kaito perked his ears.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

Eri looked over to Kogoro, as if wondering how much she should say. It was Kogoro who finally responded. "There was a kidnapping, but it's been resolved now."

_Kidnapping?_ Kaito wondered silently. _Was Kudo-kun kidnapped?_ Turning to Kogoro, he asked, "By any chance, was it Edogawa Conan who was kidnapped? I'm his school teacher, you see-" Kaito let his words trail off, highlighting his worry and making his claim more believable.

"Conan-kun?" Eri asked in surprise. After a brief pause she shook her head and said, "No, it had nothing to do with him."

Kaito felt himself sigh in relief. It seemed, for the time being at least, that Conan was fine. "Ah, I know you're in a hurry but is Conan-kun here? I need to speak with him."

"Actually, I haven't seen that kid all day," Kogoro replied, as if the fact just dawned on him.

"Oh, I see," Kaito replied, disappointed.

"If you're looking for him, I can give you his cellphone number," Eri suggested, pulling out her phone to check the contact list.

"Really? That'd be great!"

"Here," Eri said, holding out her phone for Kaito to see. Kaito copied down the number onto his phone and saved it into the address book. He then turned to Eri and smiled.

"Thank you so much," he said, bowing slightly before running off. Then finding a quiet place, Kaito entered Conan's number and pressed call. _Come on, Kudo-kun, answer you phone. There's something I need to talk to you about._

The phone rang a few times before going to voice mail.

"Damn it," Kaito cursed, ending the call. He then pressed redial and tried again. _Come on, answer!_

This time, the phone rang twice before connecting. Kaito immediately started speaking. "Hello? Kudo-kun? Is that you? I need to speak-"

"I think you have the wrong number," a voice interrupted, surprising Kaito. It was a woman. She sounded scared.

"O-oh, I'm sorry," Kaito quickly apologized, realizing that the woman probably thought he was insane by how erratic his greeting had been. Without another word, he hung up the phone, throwing it onto the ground in frustration. The phone made a crack sound as it landed. "Damn it all," Kaito said, his hands balling into fists. Not only was he supposed to kill someone, but now he couldn't even find the person he was supposed to kill. Though, even if he found the person he was supposed to kill, he really had no desire to kill him. With the hopelessness of the situation in mind, Kaito felt himself burst out into laughter. After all, what else was he supposed to do but laugh?

Reaching down, he picked up his phone again and found that the screen had indeed cracked, black liquid oozing across the display. _Like blood from a wound._

Kaito quickly shook his head, pushing the image out of his mind. _No, it's not too late,_ he told himself, _there's still time._

"Yes, there's still time," Kaito repeated, putting the phone into his pocket. There was still time for Conan; Kaito felt it to be true from the bottom of his soul. The 45mm in his backpack could rest a bit longer. If only he could talk to Conan again, Kaito felt that everything would change, that a new hope would emerge. But for that to happen, he had to find Conan first. Having determine his course of action, Kaito ran out into the streets of Tokyo.

* * *

"Kudo-kun?" Satou exclaimed, her eyes opening wide with surprise. She watched as the haggard looking teenager stumbled into the church, head bloodied and clothes in a mess. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?" she asked. But before she got an answer, Shinichi tripped and tumbled forward. Satou quickly moved to catch him before he fell. "Kudo-kun, you're a mess."

"Where's Ran?" Shinichi managed.

"Eh?" Satou remarked.

"Where's Ran?" Shinichi repeated.

"O-oh, Ran-chan's resting over there," Satou said, pointing to the pews at the front of the church.

"Thank you," Shinichi replied, breaking from Satou's support as he tried to make his way forward. He nearly tripped again though, saved from falling only thanks to Satou's quick reflexes.

"Here, I'll help you," Satou offered, holding Shinichi up with her shoulder as the two of them moved to where Ran was sitting.

As they approached, Ran looked up and exclaimed, "Shinichi!"

"Ran," Shinichi said, collapsing onto the pew beside Ran.

"What happened to you, Shinichi? You look like you just lost a bar fight," Ran joked, trying to force herself to laugh. Big drops of tears were streaming from her eyes though.

"I came back for you, like I promised, Ran," Shinichi said weakly, a smile on his face.

"Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed, burying herself in Shinichi's chest. Shinichi wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"See, just like I promised," he mumbled, causing Ran to cry even harder. For a moment, the entire church was filled with nothing but the sound of Ran crying.

Finally, it was Satou who interrupted. "Kudo-kun, could you tell me what happened? Ran-chan wasn't able to tell me much since I arrived." Upon hearing her name, Ran looked up at Satou with eyes red from crying. Instantly, Satou added, "A-ah, it's not your fault, Ran-chan. You've been through a lot." Turning to Shinichi, Ran saw him nodded in assent. Feeling better, she once again buried her head into Shinichi's clothes.

Shinichi, on the other hand, turned to Satou and said, "I managed to knock out the kidnapper when I arrived. However, he regained consciousness and made a run for it. After chasing the criminal to a nearby footbridge, he ended up jumping off into the river below."

"Then the kidnapper-?" Satou asked. Shinichi shook his head. "I see," Satou said, "I'm going to have to report this to headquarters."

Shinichi nodded. "Here," he said, pulling out a gun, "It was the kidnapper's. Ah, and can you do me a favor, Satou-keiji, and leave my name out of this case?"

Satou took the gun, then looked from Shinichi to Ran before finally nodding. "Take care of her, okay?" she said before walking off towards the police car parked outside.

Once Satou was gone, Shinichi looked down at Ran and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Ran mumbled, her voice muffled by Shinichi's shirt, "What about you? You're bleeding."

"This?" Shinichi said, forcing a laugh, "It's just a scratch."

"Really?" Ran asked, pulling herself so that she was sitting upright. The pout on her face showed that she doubted the truth of the claim.

"Really," Shinichi reassured.

Then without warning, Ran stuck out a finger and poked him in the head, right where his bruise was. Instantly, Shinichi yelped out in pain. "See, it does hurt," Ran said.

"Baro, that'd hurt even if it wasn't bruised," Shinichi replied, still smarting from the pain.

"Maybe if you're a wuss," Ran commented.

"Are you calling me a wuss?" Shinichi replied, pretending to be insulted.

The two stared at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Ran," Shinichi said, "Really, I am."

"Shinichi," Ran said before suddenly remembering something. She reached into her purse and pulled out a cellphone. "Here," she said, handing it back to Shinichi.

"Thanks," Shinichi said, taking the phone. For a brief moment, he felt Ran tugging on the phone, as if unwilling to let go. But the moment quickly passed, with Shinichi taking sole ownership. _Ran?_ Shinichi thought silently, wondering what that was all about. Before he could ponder the issue further, he suddenly hear a voice calling from the doorway.

"Ran!" the voice exclaimed. Turning, Shinichi noticed that it was Ran's parents, Kogoro and Eri, coming to find their daughter.

"Otousan! Okasan!" Ran yelled, waving her arm to signal her location. Instantly, her parents ran over and embraced her in a hug.

"I was so worried," Eri said, on the verge of tears. Kogoro, on the other hand, only managed to call her name over and over.

"Mou, I'm fine now," Ran said, telling her parents to hush. "Shinichi found me just in time."

"Shinichi-kun?" Eri asked, looking up and noticing Shinichi for the first time.

"Hello, Kisaki-san," Shinichi greeted.

"Tantei-bouzu! If you knew where Ran was, why didn't you tell me?!" Kogoro exclaimed, punching Shinichi on the shoulder.

"Ittai," Shinichi remarked, "That is-"

"Otousan!" Ran complained, "Leave Shinichi alone."

"Hai," Kogoro replied, bowing his head shamefully in response to Ran's rebuke.

Eri just laughed before asking, "Come on, Ran, shall we go home now?" She took Ran by the hand, about to lead her to the exit. Ran resisted for a moment though, causing Eri to stop. "What is it, Ran?" she asked, though it was obvious by Ran's gaze what was stopping her. "Shinichi-kun can come with us too. I'll make some delicious food for dinner. How does that sound?"

At the mention of Eri's cooking, Shinichi instantly felt his stomach drop, not sure if he could handle the woman's cooking at this point. "A-ah, thanks for the offer but I think I should go to the hospital to get this cut checked out," Shinichi quickly said, trying avoid Eri's home cooking.

"Well, okay," Eri said, "But I'll definitely treat you sometime, for helping Ran today."

"I look forward to it," Shinichi lied, laughing nervously.

"Let's go, Ran," Eri said, again trying to pull Ran along. However, again, Ran resisted.

"I'm going to go with Shinichi," Ran finally declared, breaking away from her mother's grasp.

"Eh? But you should really go home and rest, Ran," Eri insisted.

"She's right," Shinichi said, "You should really go with them, Ran. I'll be fine." Shinichi forced out a smile, trying to reassure Ran of his good health.

"But-" Ran began, only to have Shinichi interrupt.

"Really, I'll be okay," he said.

Ran paused for a moment, looking from Shinichi to her mother, wondering what she should do. She could hear Shinichi's words echoing in her head, like a song put on repeat. _"I'll be okay. I'll be fine. Don't worry." _Those words, those comforting words. He always said them, always said them to her. Whether he was really hurt or not, he would reassure her, tell her not to worry. It was always for her. Because he loved her, loved her more than anyone else in the world. And she had taken his love for granted; taken for granted that he'd be there for her; taken for granted that he'd be able to take care of himself.

She had taken him for granted, all this time, without even realizing. She couldn't keep making the same mistakes.

"Shinichi and I need to go somewhere," Ran suddenly said, to the surprise of everyone around.

"What do you mean?" Eri asked.

Shinichi followed with a, "Is there something you need to buy?"

Ran just smiled silently and grabbed onto Shinichi's hand, pulling him out of the church. "You haven't forgotten, have you, Shinichi?" she asked, turning back to look at the confused teen, "Our date's not over yet."

* * *

"You're hereby on an six month probation. Assuming your work is up to par during this period, you will be reinstated as a full agent. That is all. You may leave, Dr. Redgrace," the head judge announced.

"Thank you," Redgrace replied, making his exit out of the courtroom. As usual, Paul was outside waiting for him.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Six month probation," Redgrace said.

"Eh? You're so lucky. I'm jealous."

"You want to be on probation?" Redgrace joked.

"You know what I mean," Paul retorted. Redgrace just shrugged. "Are you heading to your hotel now?"

"Yes, I need to start packing for the trip to Japan."

"You're really going."

"I feel like we've had this conversation several times already, Paul."

"I suppose you're right. It's because-" Paul began, but the sound of a cellphone ringing interrupted.

"Ah, sorry," Redgrace said, reaching into his pocket, "Can I take this?"

"Go head," Paul said.

"Thanks," Redgrace replied, moving off to a quiet area in the building. Then picking up, he asked, "Hello? Who is this?"

"Ah, Dr. Redgrace?" the caller asked, with a voice that was distinctly Kansai dialect.

"Yes, to whom am I speaking?"

"The name's Hattori Heiji," Heiji replied.

_Hattori?_ Redgrace thought silently, wondering why the name sounded so familiar. "Hello, Hattori-san. I suppose I won't ask how you got this private number. Is there something you needed from me?"

"Actually, the truth is-"

* * *

"My house? This is where you wanted to go?" Shinichi asked as they walked through the front gate.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Ran said.

"O-oh, I guess so," Shinichi replied, though in truth he had just been inside not too long ago. He unlocked the door, then the two of them went inside. "Let's see," Shinichi mumbled as he brushed his hand against the wall, looking for the light switch. Finding it, he flipped it on, casting the entire room in a warm glow. For a moment, Shinichi looked around, realizing that everything was as he remembered: the color of the walls, the feel of the carpet, the smell of the books. Right, he was home.

"Ne, Shinichi, the first aid kit is still in its usual spot, right?" Ran asked as she walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, why?"

"I think we should bandage your cut," Ran replied, disappearing around a corner, "Wait in the living room, okay?"

"Hai," Shinichi said as he dropped himself on the couch. He couldn't help but let out a smile, feeling that everything was normal for once. He was back in his normal body, back in his normal house, back with his normal friend, Ran. Correction. Girlfriend Ran. They were dating now, right? After all, this was their date.

Shinichi could hardly believe that he and Ran had become a couple. He could hardly believe that he had confessed to her, not once, but twice, saying things that he had never even dreamed he could say. But for some reason, he wasn't embarrassed about it. He hadn't found it weird, or awkward. Perhaps because it had come from his heart?

Shinichi sighed, tilting his head back and looking up at the ceiling. _Best of all_, he thought, the voice had finally gone silent. Shinichi wasn't sure what brought it about, but for some reason, _it _had vanished ever since he had told it to shut up. Though he was surprised it had obeyed with so little resistance, Shinichi wasn't one to complain. His head felt all the better.

Just then, Ran returned, a small box in hand. Sitting down next to Shinichi, she opened the box and pulled out some medical gauze and antiseptic, using the antiseptic to clean the wound, then using the gauze to wrap it up. "There," Ran said once she was done, nodding at her handiwork.

"Thanks," Shinichi replied, touching the bandages with his fingers. Even the light touch caused him to wince though.

"Does it still hurt?" Ran asked, noticing Shinichi's grimace.

"Ah, it'll be fine in no time," Shinichi replied with a smile.

Ran, however, didn't return the smile, instead allowing a frown to take shape. _There it is again. There he goes again, being selfless._

"Ran?" Shinichi asked, noticing Ran's downcast expression.

"Shinichi!" Ran suddenly exclaimed, surprising both Shinichi and herself.

"W-what is it, Ran?" Shinichi asked.

"The truth is, there's something I've been wanting to ask you, for a long time now," Ran said slowly, wondering if she could really go through with it.

"What is it, Ran?" Shinichi asked, though he already had a faint suspicion about what she was going to say.

_Just ask him. Ask him if he's really Conan. That phone call was proof, right? So just ask him, _Ran told herself. "I, that is,-" she stuttered, trying to gather the courage to ask. She was hit by a sudden fear though, a fear of knowing the truth, of what the truth might bring.

"You-?" asked Shinichi.

_Just ask him. Ask him already! That's the plan, right? That's what I wanted to know all this time, right?_

"I was wondering-" Ran began, only to pause again. Shinichi waited patiently for her to continue. _Come on, just ask! It's that simple! Then we can both move on! _Ran told herself. "I wanted to know-"

Mindlessly, Ran's hand reached for her purse, as if seeking strength from what lied inside. _That's right, I can compare the fingerprints first. I can use them-_

Just as Ran began reaching inside her purse, she felt two warm arms envelope her, holding her in a tight embrace. Surprised, Ran looked, only to find Shinichi's head resting gently on her shoulder. She could feel the warmness of his breath as it passed by her ear, causing a shudder to ripple throughout her body. "I-" Ran began again, but the words got caught in her throat.

"Shhhh," Shinichi whispered into her ear, holding her more tightly than before. Ran could feel her hand drop from the purse, falling limply to her side. Tears began forming at the corners of her eyes, soon becoming large drops that rolled down her cheeks.

Frantically, Ran tried to stop the tears. She didn't want to cry, not in front of him, not like this. But no matter what she did, they just wouldn't stop. They just wouldn't stop.

In her mind, a singular thought possessed her, pushing out all else. All Ran could think was, _He's so warm_. Warm like the rays of sunshine on a sunny day. Warm like the embers of campfire on a cloudy night. Warm like when one human echoes with another. Warm.

As Ran was possessed by the singular warmth, she heard a whisper in her ear.

"A week, Ran. Give me a week. Things will have settled down by then and I'll explain everything. I promise," Shinichi said.

Ran nodded slowly, finding strength his words. They were to her a new hope, hope that the future would be different, that things would change - hope that life would be better henceforth.

Gently, she moved Shinichi's head off her shoulder and stared for a moment into his aqua-blue eyes, wondering if one might drown in them. Then with a smile, she pulled him close, drawing him into a kiss. She noticed that his eyes opened wide in surprise, but only briefly, before drifting shut, embracing the contact that their lips had now made.

They kissed for what seemed like forever, as if they had suddenly become inseparable- two as one. And perhaps such was true, not of their bodies, but of their souls. When they finally ran out of air, the two parted, a looking of longing in both of their eyes.

"Ran, I-" Shinichi began, but Ran put a finger to his lips, telling him not to say another word. After all, he had already said it plenty of times. It was her turn now.

"Shinichi, I love you."

* * *

"You think she'll be okay?" Eri asked. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the rental car, with Kogoro at the wheel.

"He may be a detective brat, but-" Kogoro began.

"But-?"

"But I suppose if I had to trust anyone, I'd trust that detective brat. I mean, the youth these days-" Kogoro was interrupted by the sound of laughter coming from the passenger seat. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Ah, nothing," Eri said, still laughing, "I suppose you're right. They do make a good pair, don't they? Who knows, we might even have hope now for grandkids."

"Don't you give me that!" Kogoro yelled, "I said I trusted them alone, but if he wants to make a move on my daughter, it's going to be over my dead body!"

"Hai, hai," Eri said, changing the topic, "I guess it's just the two of us for dinner then, huh? What do you want to eat? I'll make some curry."

"Geh," Kogoro remarked, "How about take out?"

"Eh?!" Eri replied, "What, are you saying my cooking is worse than takeout?"

"O-of course not," Kogoro quickly corrected, wonder how he was going to pay for it later.

* * *

Shinichi sat up and turned to his side, smiling when he saw Ran lying next to him, fast asleep. With his hand, he moved it over her head, gently stroking her hair, feeling the silky texture under his fingertips. For a moment, he thought he could hear Ran mumbling his name, but perhaps he was just imaging it, seeing as she was asleep. With one final stroke, he moved his hand away, pulling himself out of bed. The mattress squeaked slightly as the weight on it disappeared, but the noise wasn't enough to wake Ran. Now standing, Shinichi groped around on the floor, looking for his clothes, wondering where he had discarded them. It took him a while, but he finally found them, tossed in a corner. Putting them on, he left his bedroom, careful while closing the door to ensure that it didn't make any noise. He then went downstairs and put on his shoes, stepping outside once he was done. Without a destination in mind, he began to walk.

Under the open sky, Shinichi couldn't help but turn his gaze up, mesmerized by how small the stars made him appear. Still, the calmness of the night wasn't enough to dispel the unease he felt, like a premonition that things were too good to be true. Perhaps he was just overthinking things, or perhaps he felt he was undeserving. Regardless the reason, he was restless, hence his walk outside.

Though he had told Ran things would be over in a week, he wondered if it were really true. Akai might be able to reverse the process, remove the voice from his head, but would the Black Organization really give up so easily? Shinichi doubted it was the case, which meant that he would have to confront Them sooner or later. The question, though, was how.

Just as he was wondering this, Shinichi suddenly collided with someone, causing the both of them to fall backwards onto the sidewalk. "Ah, sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Shinichi began. He stood up and offered a hand to the stranger, but paused when he noticed who it was. "K-kuroba-kun?"

Kaito, upon hearing his name, looked up, appearing equally as surprised. "K-kudo-kun? Y-you're big! But how?"

"What are you doing here, Kuroba-kun?" Shinichi asked, pulling Kaito back onto his feet.

"I was looking for you," Kaito replied as he stared at Shinichi, occasionally poking him in the face.

"What are you doing?" Shinichi asked.

"You're really back to normal?" Kaito asked, barely able to believe his eyes.

"It's only a temporary antidote," Shinichi explained.

"I see," Kaito mumbled, a sudden frown forming on his face. He crossed his arms and then turned his back to Shinichi, saying, "Here I was worried that something had happened to you, but turns out you were just busy messing around with some girl."

"Huh?" Shinichi remarked, looking confused.

"I can smell the perfume. And you have lipstick all over your face," Kaito snapped.

"Really?" Shinichi exclaimed, rubbing his face with his hands as he turned red with embarrassment. He suddenly paused though, a thought hitting him. "Wait, you were worried about me?" Shinichi asked.

This time, it was Kaito's turn to blush. "Baka, of course I was! I mean, you asked me to do something weird after all!"

As luck would have it, a couple of people just happened to be passing by, and upon hearing Kaito's exclamation, began chanting, "Hue hue!"

"Baro," Shinichi whispered, realizing they were drawing unnecessary attention, "It wasn't anything weird."

"You don't call asking someone to shoot you weird?" Kaito hissed.

Shinichi just sighed. "At any rate, let's find somewhere to talk," he suggested. Kaito nodded; for once, they were in agreement.

For some reason or other, they ended up at a love motel. Shinichi could feel the wandering eyes, the hushed whispers, all directed towards them, making the place rather suffocating.

"Why are we here again?" Shinichi whispered as he spotted a tranny staring. The tranny gave Shinichi a wink that sent shivers down his spine.

"It's the cheapest place that's still open," Kaito replied, "Deal with it."

Though Shinichi doubted it was the case, he still followed close behind, careful not to get lost in the sea of…oddities. Kaito approached the front desk and said, "We'd like a room please."

"One bed or two?" the receptionist asked.

"Whichever's cheaper. We're not planning on staying the night," Kaito replied.

"Oh, you're _that _kind of couple," the receptionist said, causing Kaito and Shinichi to blush furiously. Shinichi averted his eyes, wondering how his night had ended up so awkward. "Here you are, room 207," the receptionist said, after what felt like ages. She handed Kaito the room key, and after Kaito paid some money in cash, the two of them made a beeline for the room. Shinichi quickly shut and locked the door behind him, having never felt so embarrassed in his life.

"Did you hear that? She thought we were a couple," Kaito laughed gleefully, plopping himself onto the bed.

"How is that funny?" Shinichi asked, sounding rather annoyed, "And at any rate, what did you want to talk about?"

Instantly, Kaito's face grew serious. "About Ise Kinji's suicide," he began, drawing a surprised look from Shinichi.

"What do you know about that?" Shinichi asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I think the more important question is, what do _you _know about it?" Kaito replied.

Shinichi shrugged. "Only what's been said in the news," he said, causing Kaito to sigh.

"It's just like you said then. You don't remember."

"Remember what?"

At that, Kaito recounted the events of last week, about how Shinichi had forced Ise Kinji to jump off the rooftop of a building, committing suicide. Kaito also told Shinichi about the appearance of _the_ _other_, the one with the violet eyes.

"I see," Shinichi mumbled when Kaito was finally done. A solemn look was on his face and Kaito noticed that his hands were clenched so tightly that the whites of the knuckles showed. There was a silence before Shinichi finally continued. "I suspected as much," he said slowly, eyes still staring at his hands, "but I guess it's a bit different having it told to you."

"Kudo-kun," Kaito said, not sure what he should do. He felt like nothing he could say would make the situation better. Any yet, it pained him to see his normally dignified arch-rival so downcast. After much indecision, Kaito finally asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Shinichi looked up, though Kaito could see that there was a hollowness in his expression.

Figuring he'd take the lead, Kaito reached into his backpack and pulled out the 45mm handgun, placing it lightly on the bed, between where he and Shinichi sat. Shinichi looked down, a spark of recognition crossing his eyes. "Do you still want me to use this, Kudo-kun?" Kaito asked softly, letting the words hang in the air.

It was a while before Shinichi finally replied. "I don't know," he admitted.

"You don't know?" Kaito repeated, now unsure what to think or how to feel. Just two weeks ago, Shinichi had given him the gun- practically forced it upon him- determined to have Kaito shoot in case things went south. But now here they were, two weeks later, the situation even direr than before, and Shinichi was being indecisive. If Shinichi couldn't even commit to the idea, how was he, someone who hadn't even wanted to do it in the first place, supposed to commit? Turning to Shinichi, Kaito finally asked, "What changed?"

To Kaito's surprise, Shinichi smiled and softly said, "I suppose I just discovered how much I had to lose."

At that, Kaito could feel his hands ball into fists; an anger from deep down started swelling in his chest. "_How much you have to lose? Have you ever considered how much I had to lose when you asked me?" _Kaito wanted scream, "_To lose my favorite critic? To return to a world without colors?_"

All of it, Kaito wanted to yell all of it out loud- scream at the top of his lungs. He wanted to roll around on the ground and throw a fit. He wanted to punch Shinichi several times over. And above all else, he wanted to cry. He wanted to cry and cry and cry, until he ran out of tears, until he flooded the world's seas.

But, in the end, Kaito did none of that. Instead, he just mumbled a simple, "I see."

Shinichi, noticing the change in Kaito body language, felt compelled to continue, to explain himself. "When I gave you that gun," he said, causing Kaito to look his way, "I thought I was doing the right thing. I knew something like Ise Kinji would happen. It was only a matter of time. I could feel _it _growing stronger." Shinichi paused, his hand grabbing the part of his shirt covering his chest. "I knew that I'd lose control eventually, that'd I'd end up hurting those around me. I didn't want that. No, maybe I was afraid. Afraid that I'd become a _monster_."

"Kudo-kun," Kaito mumbled, his eyes growing wide, "You-"

Shinichi shook his head and continued. "That's why I asked you to shoot me, before it was too late. Before _it _had complete control. But now that I think about it, maybe that wasn't the right thing to do. It's only recently, but I feel like I understand now how much pain everyone would feel if I were to die. My parents. My friends. Ran."

_And me_, Kaito thought silently.

"So I have to try my best, to get through this alive. That's why, I'm not sure if I want you to shoot me anymore. Tell me, Kuroba-kun, which is more selfish? Wanting to die, or wanting to live?"

Kaito let the question hang in the air for a moment before he finally answered. "Whichever you pick, I'll help you do it."

At that, Shinichi grinned. "You sure are generous to your arch-nemesis."

"W-what," Kaito stuttered, "I only said that because you said all that deep philosophical stuff."

Shinichi laughed. "Well, I felt like I owed you some kind of explanation given what I had asked you to do."

"You bet your ass you did," Kaito remarked, also laughing, feeling the atmosphere grow lighter. It was like the moment when the sun appeared after a long storm, bringing light to a world that had too long been in darkness. It was a new hope. "So, what's the plan, Kudo-kun?"

"Shinichi."

"Huh?" Kaito asked.

"Just call me Shinichi."

Kaito felt himself smirk. "Hmph, I guess I can call you Shinichi. We are arch-rivals after all," he boasted.

"How many times do I have to tell you that no one has arch-rivals in real life?" Shinichi asked with a sigh. He was all smiles though. Shinichi waited until Kaito stopped laughing before he continued. "As for the plan, like I said before, I have a friend who's coming back to Japan soon. He'll be able to reverse the process and turn me back to normal."

"Is that even possible?" Kaito asked.

"In theory, yes," Shinichi replied, "The bigger problem is with Them."

"You mean those men in black," Kaito clarified, recalling what he had read from Hakuba's journal.

Shinichi nodded. "We're going to need a plan against Them. I doubt They'd just stop so easily."

"We?"

"You don't want to help out?" Shinichi asked.

"W-well, that's not what I meant," Kaito began, but then just sighed, "I'll help. Just let me know what I can do."

Shinichi smiled at that. "At any rate, the most important thing is to hold out until my friend gets back. So basically, we just have to make it through the week."

"Seems simple enough," Kaito said.

"We can't let our guard down, though," Shinichi countered. "Two things," he said, holding up two fingers.

"Two things?" Kaito asked.

"First, I don't know if it will happen or not, and I will try my best to prevent it, but if I ever lose control anytime during the week," Shinichi said, letting his words trail off. He took the 45mm gun and placed in into Kaito's hands. "Well, I don't plan to just roll over and die, but if the need arises-"

Kaito nodded his head, "Understood. I'll keep an eye out. And the second thing?"

"If you ever see me sleep walking, under no circumstance are you to follow."

"Eh?"

"I've been holding out for a while now, but I can feel my body is at its limit. Eventually, I'm going to fall asleep and the hypnosis that They put on me is going to kick into effect. That's how They've been getting me to Their base without anyone noticing."

"Isn't that perfect then? If I just follow you, you'll lead me straight to-"

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" Shinichi shouted, interrupting Kaito before he could even finish. Kaito reeled back a bit, startled by the outburst. "You can't," Shinichi repeated, more quietly this time. "You remember the explosion in Haido City a while back? That was because the police were told to follow me. We were trying to find the Black Organization hideout. All the task force members died."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea," Kaito said, looking downcast.

"So don't follow me, okay?" Shinichi asked. "Promise me."

"I promise," Kaito replied, holding out his pinky.

Shinichi grinned at that. "I haven't done this since elementary school."

"Oh just shut up and do it," Kaito said as the two of them locked pinkies. "It's a promise then."

"Hai," Shinichi said, "Shall we head out then? I don't want to leave Ran alone for too long."

"Is that the girl you were with before?" Kaito asked as they walked down the stairs to the first floor. Shinichi nodded, following Kaito to the reception desk to the return the room key.

As they approached, the receptionist looked up from the book she was reading and gave them a smirk. "That was awfully fast. Who finished first?" she asked, causing Shinichi and Kaito to blush furiously. Kaito quickly dropped off the keys and pulled Shinichi out of the motel; they could hear the receptionist laughing from behind.

"Remind me never to follow your suggestions," Shinichi said as they walked down the street, heading back to Shinichi's house. The sidewalk was deserted, save for the two of them.

"It was practical, right? Isn't that your whole thing, logical and practical? One big stiffie, if you ask me," Kaito said as he started giggling uncontrollably.

"What?" Shinichi asked.

"Stiffie," Kaito said, bursting into laughter again.

"What are you, five?" Shinichi sighed.

"Oh, come on. You found the whole thing funny too, didn't you?"

"Says the person who was blushing like a beet," Shinichi replied.

"Was not," Kaito countered.

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Okay, I'm not going to do this with you," Shinichi said, refusing to continue the childish argument.

"Yes, I win!" Kaito exclaimed, prancing around with his arms waved in the air.

Shinichi laughed. "You're such a-" he began when suddenly, he felt his head start to spin. His ears began to ring as well, while his chest felt like it was going to explode.

"Shinichi?" Kaito asked, noticing that Shinichi had stopped mid-sentence. Looking over, he found that Shinichi had collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain. "Shinichi? What's wrong?" Kaito asked, running over. He placed a hand on Shinichi's forehead, quickly realizing that it was burning up. "Wait, is _it _taking over?" Kaito asked frantically reaching into his backpack. He paused however when he heard Shinichi let out a bloodcurdling yell. "W-what's happening?" Kaito wondered.

Then before his very eyes, Shinichi began to shrink, his limps and trunk growing smaller and smaller, until they were hidden from view in his now oversized clothes. The entire process took little more than a minute, with the teenager Kudo Shinichi being replaced by the child Edogawa Conan. Kaito looked on, stunned and speechless.

Finally, he managed, "He really shrunk. Just like that, he shrunk." Though Kaito knew it to be true, seeing it happen was something else altogether. With bated breath, Kaito reached a shaky hand out and poked Conan in the face, checking to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. His finger touched real skin.

"Incredible," Kaito mumbled, staring at the newly shrunken child, who appeared fast asleep. Kaito watched as Conan's small stomach rose and fell, in line with each breath. He stared at the peaceful expression on the boy's face, a reflection of one who had not a care in the world. "It's like a fairy tale," Kaito concluded, "Like Sleeping Beauty."

Just then, Kaito realized how innocent Conan looked, how vulnerable he now appeared, lying there on the ground. "Right, like Sleeping Beauty," Kaito mumbled, feeling himself bending over, drawing closer to Conan's face. _What am I doing?_ he wondered, though he could feel his body had stopped listening to his brain. "Waiting for a prince," he said, now but inches above Conan, close enough to smell him, feel his breath. "For a k-"

Kaito felt his heart stop. He was holding his breath. He was moving closer. And closer. Their lips. Almost touching. Closer.

Suddenly, Conan's eyes opened, causing Kaito to fall backwards in surprise. Quickly, he began ranting, "A-ah, it's not what you think! I was just trying to check if you were alive! You-" In the middle of his sentence, Kaito stopped, noticing that something was off. Though Conan's eyes were half open, he still appeared asleep. "Shinichi?" Kaito asked. Conan didn't respond though. Instead, he stood up abruptly and started walking away, his oversized clothes dragging along the ground. It wasn't long before the pants came clean off.

Kaito, finally snapping out of confusion, quickly leaped forward, picking up the pants as he went along, and ran off after Conan. "Wait-!" he called before suddenly stopped cold, Shinichi's previous warning echoing in his head.

_"If you ever see me sleep walking, under no circumstance are you to follow."_

"But-" Kaito mumbled, watching as Conan rounded the corner. With a shake of his head, Kaito quickly decided to ran after. "Shinichi!" Kaito called, turning the same corner. To his surprise though, the street was empty.

Conan had vanished.

* * *

_"It's been a while."_

_"It has."_

_"How have you been getting along, Wolf-kun?"_

_"I tested your theory the other day."_

_"I see. And?"_

_"What else can you show me of this world of yours?"_

_"More. So much more."_

_"What do I have to do?"_

_"You already know the answer to that, don't you, Wolf-kun?"_

_"Master won't like it."_

* * *

Conan woke up feeling rather awful, the previous night's events only a fuzzy memory in his head. And given the dream he had awoken to, it seems he had finally given in and allowed to BO to take him once more. This time though, there was no torture, only a brief talk.

_"You already know the answer to that, don't you?"_

Conan let the question linger in his head, wondering what it could possibly mean. _What is he planning to do?_ Conan thought, but then shook his head. "It's doesn't matter. Whatever it is, it won't work," he mumbled. _After all, Kaito-_

Instantly, Conan paused, the memories from the night before flooding back into his head. _That's right,_ Conan thought, suddenly remembering that he had met with Kaito in some shady motel. He also remembered that they were walking back towards his house when…

"Crap, I completely forgot about Ran!" Conan exclaimed, jumping up off his futon. He quickly looked around, trying to identify his current location. To his surprise, he discovered that he was once again back in the detective agency, standing in the middle of his usual room. "How-?" Conan wondered, but then quickly pushed the thought aside. For now, he had to go find Ran. After all, he had just disappeared on her last night.

Rushing out the room, he was about to put on shoes and run back his house when he suddenly smelled cooking coming from the kitchen. Curious, seeing as Kogoro never cooked, Conan went over to investigate. To his surprise, he found Ran, apron on, making breakfast.

"R-ran-neechan?" Conan said tentatively as he made his approach.

"Ah, Conan-kun, ohayou!" Ran said, turning around and greeting him with a smile.

"O-ohayou," Conan replied, looking at Ran suspiciously. _Weird, she doesn't look mad at all. In fact, she seems happier than normal. What's going on? _To investigate the matter, Conan decided he'd bring up the topic of Shinichi and see how Ran reacted. It would be the quickest way to get to the bottom of the matter. With a nervous start, Conan said, "Ne, Ran-neechan, Shinichi-niisan called me yesterday night."

"Sou?" Ran asked, still preoccupied with making breakfast. To Conan's surprise, the mention of 'Shinichi' didn't draw any reaction, positive or negative.

"Yeah," Conan continued, still remembering to tread carefully, "He told me to pass on a message to you."

"Message? What did he say?" Ran asked as she moved the spatula about in the pan.

"He said he's sorry for leaving you alone last night and that'd he'd be sure to meet you again as soon as he can," Conan said, preparing for the worse. After all, Ran never took lightly to his excuses.

In what amounted to a complete reversal of expectations, however, Ran simply shrugged. "Tell him that's it's fine," she said. Then turning with the frying pan in hand, she asked, "Ne, Conan-kun, is scrambled eggs for breakfast okay?"

"U-un," Conan replied, stunned. He wondered why she was showing him food from the frying pan instead of beating him over the head with it. _Wait, is she secretly furious? Is this what they call being passive aggressive?_

"Conan-kun," Ran said, breaking Conan out of his thoughts, "Here."

"Arigatou," Conan said, taking the plate of scrambled eggs to the living room table. Behind, he could hear Ran humming a song happily. _Maybe's she's not actually mad?_ _Well, I guess I'll worry about it later_, he thought with a shrug. For the time being, he had to build up his strength, prepare for the week ahead.

Smiling, Conan reminded himself that he had Kaito fully backing him up now, a strong ally indeed. He also had his newly strengthen relationship with Ran, a powerful motivator to avoid succumbing to the BO's plans. With new hopes on the horizon, Conan found his situation more manageable than he had in weeks. For once, he felt like he stood a fighting chance. _Let's do this_, he thought, picking up the fork.

"Itadakimasu!"

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

LONGEST CHAPTER EVA! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :DD

Next chapter is going to be the finale for this part, so prepare yourselves!

Cheers!


	49. Arc Five: Postlude

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

Jii walked to the door, wondering who would be knocking so late at night, especially with the heavy downpour outside. He made a silent prayer, hoping that it wasn't one of those traveling salesman. For some reason or other, he could never quite find the courage to refuse whatever it was they were selling, always ending up with a bunch of unneeded junk.

As he peered through the peephole of the door, he suddenly remembered that his front porch light was broken, leaving the exterior of his house completely dark. From where he stood, he could only see the outline of a figure, shaking as if cold from the rain. Not having the heart to leave someone outside given the weather, he opened the door with a sigh.

As the door swung open, a sudden flash of lighting erupted from the sky, casting the visitor in an almost supernatural light. Jii quickly shielded his eyes from the brightness, only removing his arm once the darkness returned. With his arm out of the way, Jii finally managed to get a good look at the visitor, the backlight from inside the house allowing him to see.

Recognizing the visitor instantly, Jii gasped, the visitor's name escaping his mouth through a whisper. "Bocchama?"

Looking on in horror, Jii watched as the appearance of the young master solidified before his eyes. Atop, Kaito's hair was plastered to his face, large drops of water rolling down, almost like he was crying. On his body was a slick T-shirt, covered not only with rainwater, but crimson blood. To his side- what Jii had thought was shivering from the rain- was actually an incessant scratching, leaving deep trails of red in Kaito's arms. And worse of all, the eyes; when Kaito looked up- Jii felt himself involuntarily shutter at the expression- the deranged look of a demon possessed.

"Bocch-" Jii tried again, but he was interrupted by the eruption of a maniacal laugh.

"Jii-chan! Jii-chan!" Kaito exclaimed, laughing as he spun around, his arms extending out to both sides. "Guess what, Jii-chan? I did it, I did it. I pulled the trigger! Ha ha ha!"

As the downpour continued, the sound of Kaito's laughter could be heard echoing throughout the night.

* * *

"Ugh," Shinichi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, realizing that his head was throbbing, the pain emanating from somewhere in the back of his skull. Gingerly, he moved a hand over to investigate, but pulled back in surprise when he discovered the spot was wet. Staring at his hand, he found that it was now covered with blood, of a deep maroon color. Was he injured?

Shinichi returned his hand to the back of his head, and then with the upmost care, felt around the area of the wound, his hand brushing over the part of the scalp from which blood was oozing. From what he could sense with the tips of his fingers, the wound was circular in shape, no more than two centimeters in diameter. Gritting his teeth, he then pushed down on the wound with his index finger, trying to discover how deep it went. To his surprise, and searing pain, his finger managed to slip entirely in, until Shinichi could feel the knuckle at the base of his skull.

"ARGH!" Shinichi roared, panting heavily as he yanked his finger out, feeling close to the edge of unconsciousness. Then with rather delirious, half-opened eyes, he glanced down at his finger- a greyish, slimy mass was resting on the tip.

"I-is that-" Shinichi managed weakly, feeling his body sway back and forth, "-my brain?"

As the words left his mouth, so too did all his strength. Shinichi collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"How is he, Tamuro-kun?" Jii asked as the doctor exited the bedroom.

"He's calmed down," Tamuro replied, "I've patched up his arms and aside from that, there were no other injuries."

"The blood-?"

Tamuro shook his head. "It wasn't his. I'd have to do some more tests to discover exactly-"

"Please do," Jii said before Tamuro even finished his sentence.

"Okay," Tamuro replied, "He was also asking to see you."

"Thank you, for everything, Tamuro-kun," Jii said, making for the bedroom. Before he could enter however, Tamuro called his name, causing Jii to pause.

"Tell me, what's going on with Kuroba-kun?" Tamuro asked, a look of concern on his face. "There was something about his expression," he said, letting the words trail off.

Jii knew exactly what Tamuro meant, deranged eyes still fresh in his mind. However, all Jii could do was shake his head and say, "I don't know. The last time I talked with Kaito-kun, I had told him to go out and get some fresh air, clear his head. That was nearly two weeks ago though. I hadn't seen him since then, until he showed up on my front door last night."

"I see," Tamuro replied as he began walking towards the door, about to leave, "I'll get the blood sample checked out and let you know what I find."

"Thank you," Jii said, watching as Tamuro left. Then turning to the bedroom, he placed his hand on the doorknob, hesitating for a moment before finally making his way inside. Shutting the door quietly behind him, Jii directed his attention to the bed, where Kaito was sitting, back against the wall, head down staring at the sheets. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Kaito looked up; Jii noticed a hollow expression in his eyes, as if the body were but an empty shell, devoid of a soul.

With great care, Jii sat down on the bed, taking a place next to Kaito. The two of them lingered in silence, letting the heavy atmosphere stagnant a moment longer. Jii glanced over at Kaito, noticing that the blood-stained clothes were now gone, the slick hair dried and spiking in all directions once more. As Tamuro mentioned, both of Kaito's arms were now wrapped in medical gauze, giving off the appearance of a mummy. It wasn't Halloween, however, and the situation was neither a trick nor a treat. Though like Halloween, there was perhaps an element of horror.

Finally breaking the silence, Jii asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Kaito replied monotonously, holding onto an unreadable expression.

"Now's really not the time for poker faces," Jii joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

His attempt backfired horribly, however, as Kaito snapped, "You really want to know how I feel?! I want to kill myself! I want to take a knife and slash my wrists! I want to swallow an entire bottle of pills and not wake up! I want to jump off-!"

Before Kaito could say anymore, he felt a hand slap him across the face, stunning him momentarily. The slap was then followed by two arms, which enveloped him in a tight embrace. "The master would cry in heaven if he heard you saying such things, Bocchama," Jii whispered.

"J-jii-chan," Kaito sniffled, tears suddenly streaming down his face. He knew that boys shouldn't cry, that they should be stoic in the face of adversity. Always have your poker face, his father had told him. But for some reason, at that moment, the tears wouldn't stop. And so Kaito wailed; he wailed and wailed and wailed, until his voice was hoarse and his eyes were red. Finally, he wiped the last of his tears away, feeling calmer. Jii also let go, scooting back a little on the bed.

"You probably want to know what happened, right?" Kaito asked, his eyes trained on restless hands, which at the moment were busy twiddling around.

"Only if you want to tell me," Jii replied, waiting patiently as Kaito gathered the strength to continue.

With a nod, Kaito said, "Something happened yesterday, when I was in Tokyo."

"Something?" Jii asked.

Kaito paused, as if the very thought of what he was about to say haunted him. His face suddenly grew pale, and for a moment, Jii wondered if the teen was going to faint. However, Kaito managed to recover, gripping the bed sheets tightly as he said, "Yes, I killed someone."

* * *

"Enter," Etanoru said, putting down the financial reports he was reading. In came Mead, holding a newspaper and looking rather flustered.

"Boss, you need to see this," he said, practically tossing the paper onto the table in front of Etanoru, annoying him greatly.

Instead of saying anything, however, Etanoru looked down, reading off the headline of the article that was presented to him, "Teenager, 17, Found Dead in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area." Then turning to Mead, Etanoru asked, "So, why is this article important?"

"Keep reading," Mead urged.

"Last night, police officials recovered the body of a Japanese teenager, who had been shot in the head. According to the Medical Examiner, the bullet traveled directly into the boy's skull, killing him instantly," Etanoru read.

"The next part," Mead said.

"Furthermore, while possibly unrelated, police have also found the body of a Siberian Husky, likewise shot to death, lying nearby. The strange thing is, however, that the husky was shot using a different caliber gun than the teenager. Police have not yet commented on whether there might be two killers on the loose. All residents have been urged to use extreme caution when traveling outside at night," Etanoru finished, putting down the newspaper. A wide grin suddenly crept onto Etanoru's face as a spark of understanding took hold. "Naruhodo," he said with a laugh, "So that's what happened. Bravo! Bravo!"

* * *

"What do you mean, you killed someone?" Jii asked. He wanted to make sure he gave Kaito a chance to explain himself before jumping to conclusions.

"Well, the story is a bit confusing if I don't start from the beginning," Kaito replied, looking to Jii for approval. Jii nodded, signaling for Kaito to continue. And continue Kaito did, explaining the situation with Shinichi, of the other personality that was forming, of the 45mm gun he had received, and of the task he was instructed to carry out.

"I see," Jii said once Kaito was done, "Your friend was afraid he might go out of control, so he asked you to keep an eye out. But then something went wrong, didn't it?"

Kaito nodded. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said softly, "He was supposed to be fine. We just had to make it through the week and then everything would be fine. It would all be over."

"What happened?" Jii asked.

"_It _appeared."

* * *

_"Come on, come on," Kaito mumbled, twisting the wrapper this way and that as he tried to open the bag. For some reason, retailers were determined to foil his plans, deciding to use packaging that was impossible to open. "Why would you even design it like this?" he wondered aloud, pulling the bag with all his strength. Suddenly, the bag ripped open, causing the snack mix to spill everywhere. Kaito groaned as he stared down, eyeing the now half-empty container. The rest was scattered on the rooftop of the building, where he had decided to conduct his stakeout._

_For the past few days, Kaito had decided to use the rooftop of a nearby building to watch over Conan, make sure that nothing happened until the week was over, as they had agreed upon. And thus far, nothing did happen, with Conan locking himself inside the detective agency, refusing to come out. Everything appeared to be proceeding smoothly, and for a moment, Kaito believed that they would make it out unscathed. Unfortunately, he was wrong._

_As Kaito scoured the rooftop for his lost snacks, a sudden movement from below caught his attention. Peering over the edge of the building, Kaito noticed that Conan had emerged, along with one of the Siberian Huskies- Watson, Kaito believed its name was. Curious, Kaito continued to watch, wondering where the two of them were heading off to, so late at night. "This can't be hypnosis-induced sleep walking, can it?" he asked himself, noticing that Conan and Watson were heading down the street, in the direction of the park. Deciding to investigate, Kaito pulled out his hang glider and then briskly flew down to the ground below, landing gracefully onto the pavement. He then retracted the glider and dashed off, calling Conan's name as he ran. His voice seemed to catch the attention of Watson, who turned around and perked its ears. However, Conan made no signs of hearing, continuing as he were, even going as far as dragging Watson by the leash when the dog stopped moving._

_Looking at the situation, Kaito instantly paused, wondering if Conan was sleep walking after all. Immediately, Conan's warning echoed through his head._

_"If you ever see me sleep walking, under no circumstance are you to follow."_

_"But-" Kaito mumbled, realizing that the distance between Conan and himself was rapidly increasing. He shook his head. "This is just too weird. I have to follow him," he said, deciding to run after Conan, ignoring the promise he had made earlier. He was sure to stay far enough back to spot any potential ambushes, and continued his tailing until he arrived at the park. Then, seeing Conan approach one of the memorial statues, Kaito leaped behind some shrubbery to observe. From his hiding location, he could see that Conan was speaking to someone, Watson still waiting patiently to his side. Kaito could not distinguish, however, any of the characteristics of the stranger, save that the stranger was young, probably early to late teens. Listening closely, Kaito could just barely make out what was being said._

_"How much per gram?" Conan asked the teen._

_"Onnne granddd," the teen replied, his words slurred. Kaito could tell that he was under the influence of something._

_"That's rather overpriced, don't you think? Street value is six eighty," Conan said._

_"Ttttaakkke ittt or leavvveeee itttt."_

_"Fine, show me the goods first."_

_From his pocket, the teen pulled out what looked to be a Ziploc bag, though it was too far away for Kaito to make out the contents. Holding the bag with an outstretched arm, the teen stuck out his other and said, "Shhooooowwwww meeee the moneeeyyyy."_

_"As you wish," Conan said, reaching into his back pocket. What he took out wasn't money, however, but a gun. Instantly, Kaito felt his muscles tense. He wondered if he should jump out and intervene, or wait to see the situation unfold._

_The teen, also noticing the gun, took a step back. "Woah, man, put that away," he said, the sudden rush of adrenaline seemingly breaking him out of his stupor._

_Instead of backing off, however, Conan advanced, the gun steady in his hand and pointed at the teens head. "Get on the ground," he commanded. The teen did as he was told, lying flat on his stomach. Conan then moved over, positioning himself so that he was squatting next to the teen, gun touching the back of the teen's head. From where he hid, Kaito could hear the sound of whimpering._

_"I have to do something," Kaito mumbled, his hand reaching into his own pocket, pulling out the 45mm handgun. He suddenly froze though, the reality of the situation hitting him like a brick. Though he had agreed in the end, and of his own free will, to end Conan's life should the situation arise, he didn't think the situation would actually arise, didn't take the agreement as seriously as he should have. His talk with Shinichi had made the possibility seem so remote that he had almost forgotten the emotional burden he suffered before, just thinking about the prospect of murder. But now here it was, the situation hitting him right in the face, his worst fears coming true._

_Beside him, Kaito could feel his hand begin to tremble, the gun shaking back and forth. "I can't do this," he realized, plagued by indecision._

_His paralysis was abruptly resolved for him, however, when he heard his name being called. Surprised, Kaito lifted his head up and noticed that Conan was looking in his direction, right at him in fact._

_"How long are you going to hide there? Come out already," Conan said._

_Kaito's eyes opened wide, even more confused than before. With uncertain legs, he stood up, no longer hidden by the shrubbery. Then step by shaky step, he approached the statue, stopping once he was but a few feet from Conan. "W-what are you doing, Shinichi?" Kaito asked, cursing himself for the uneasiness in his voice._

_Conan seemed to notice as well, a smirk creeping onto his face. Then to Kaito's surprise, he lifted his free hand up, using it to pinch his eye. Confused, Kaito could only look on silently, wondering what Conan was doing. That's when he realized the meaning behind Conan's actions; Conan was busy removing contact lenses from his eyes. With the contact lenses gone, Conan looked up once more. Or rather, it wasn't Conan at all._

_"You!" Kaito exclaimed, staring into violet irises._

_"It's been a while," the 'other' Conan said, a mischievous grin on his face, "Last time was that whole matter with Ise Kinji, right? I hear the case wrapped up quite nicely."_

_"Shut up!" Kaito yelled, lifting the 45mm so that it was pointing at the 'other' Conan's head._

_"Oh, that's a dangerous thing you have there," the 'other' Conan said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He pushed his own gun harder into the teen's head, causing the teen to cry out in surprise. "Did Shinichi-sama give that to you?"_

_"Shinichi…sama?" Kaito asked, wondering why such an honorific was being used. He quickly shook his head, however, realizing that there were more important matters to worry about. "Let that man go and then crawl back into whatever hole you came out from," he said, waving the gun threateningly._

_Instead of being intimidated, however, the 'other' Conan just laughed. "You don't know anything, do you?" he asked._

_"What is there to know?" Kaito retorted._

_"See there? That just shows your ignorance," the 'other' Conan replied._

_"Then enlighten me."_

_"This guy here," the 'other' Conan began, pushing the gun against the teen's head, eliciting another round of whimpers, "is a heroin dealer."_

_"Heroin?"_

_"As in- the very much illegal to have in Japan- heroin. I was just taking out the trash," the 'other' Conan shrugged._

_"Then leave that up to the police," Kaito said._

_"Why? Isn't this much easier?" the 'other' Conan asked. Then with a smirk, he said, "Or what, are you going to stop me?"_

_The question lingered in Kaito's ears for a moment, his mind racing to think of a way to end the situation without causalities. Before he could determine a solution, however, the 'other' Conan continued._

_"You can't, can you?" he asked with a laugh. "You want a peaceful solution to this? Well, I hate to break it to you, but there isn't one."_

_"I-" Kaito began, the gun dipping slightly. He quickly straight his arm out, however, re-aiming the sight at the 'other' Conan's head._

_The 'other' Conan just laughed again, clearly not afraid by Kaito's half-hearted attempts. "How about this?" he said, pointing to Watson, "You shoot that dog over there."_

_"What?" Kaito remarked, turning his head. His eyes fell upon the Siberian Husky, now resting on the grass. "Shoot Watson?" he mumbled, letting the idea linger in the air as he tried to wrap his mind around it. Kaito wondered if he would be able to do such a thing, pull the trigger and kill the dog. Instantly, the image of the baby pup visualized in his mind, bringing back memories of hours spent training and feeding the young husky, leaving Kaito with an almost paternal attitude towards the dog. "Shoot Watson?" Kaito mumbled again, looking at the dog sorrowfully as he moved beside it. With his free hand, he gently stroked the dog's downy soft fur, still white as the day it was born. In response, Watson barked and wagged its tail happily, occasionally lifting its head to lick Kaito's hand. Kaito allowed himself to laugh briefly, before his eyes grew serious once more._

_"Shoot Watson," he said, for the third time, though now more a statement than a question. If shooting the dog meant a resolution to the situation, if it meant that he didn't have to kill Conan, would it be justifiably worth it? If the violet-eyed Conan disappeared once he pulled the trigger, was not the life of one dog a small price to pay?_

_Kaito was broken out of his thoughts by whimpering, this time coming from Watson, who evidently missed being scratched behind the ears. Kaito granted it its desire, as a last wish of sorts, using his hand to give Watson ample scratching. Watson wagged its tail furiously, ecstatic from the attention, and looked up at Kaito with large brown eyes. Kaito smiled in return, all the while moving the gun to Watson's head, resting the muzzle gently on the dog's white fur. Still looking into the dog's eyes, Kaito cocked the gun, his hand trembling slightly as his breath caught in his throat. Then squeezing his eyes shut, he squeezed the trigger, causing a bang to echo throughout the park, loud enough that his heart skipped a beat._

_On the opposite of loud was Watson, who, without a whimper or bark, immediately stopped moving, its tail falling limply to the ground. Where the gun had fired, blood began to pool, staining white fur red. Slowly, Kaito opened his eyes, gazing down at what he had done. Unsurprisingly, he found the dog dead. "I'll miss you, boy," Kaito mumbled, folding fast to his tears though he could feel his heart breaking in two, the singular solace being that nightmare would finally end._

_Just then, a laugh shocked Kaito out of his mourning, drawing his attention away from the recently deceased dog. It was the 'other' Conan._

_"You did it! You actually did it!" he laughed, almost breaking into tears._

_"I did," Kaito snapped angrily as he jumped up off the ground. He then stormed to the statue and demanded, "Now let him go and give Shinichi back!"_

_"Ha? What the hell are you talking about?" the 'other' Conan asked._

_"That was the deal. I shoot the dog and you end this."_

_"Oi, I think you got something confused," the 'other' Conan replied. "There was no deal. I was merely suggesting that if you wanted to shoot something so badly, you should shoot the dog over there."_

_"W-what?" Kaito stuttered, nearly collapsing onto the ground, "T-then why…why did I-?"_

_"Oh, I see. You thought you could end this whole thing peacefully by shooting the dog," the 'other' Conan said, "Well, that was rather stupid of you."_

_"You-!" Kaito exclaimed, holding the gun out angrily._

_"What? Are you going to murder me like you did Watson over there?" the 'other' Conan asked, the words hitting Kaito square in the chest, knocking his wind out. "Allow me to say this clearly, so you don't misunderstand again. If you don't shoot me dead right now, I'm going to kill him," the 'other' Conan added, pointing to the teenager who was still lying on the ground. Kaito, though, didn't make any movements. The 'other' Conan smirked, "You can't do it, can you? Well, it's like I suspected. I guess calling you out here to test my theory was worthwhile after all."_

_"What are you talking about?" Kaito demanded._

_"You really are dense, aren't you?"_

_"What was that?!"_

_"You still haven't realized?"_

_"Like I was saying, realized what?!"_

_"That you're in love with Shinichi-sama," the 'other' Conan finally said._

_"I'm in love-?" Kaito asked, his words trailing off, eyes opened wide with surprise. Then quickly shaking his head, Kaito laughed, "Oh, I see what you're doing. You're just trying to trick me, aren't you? Trying to save your own skin? I mean, there's no way I'm in love with Shinichi. Sure, I might find him interesting. And maybe Aoko's right, I am a bit obsessed, but-"_

_"You know, there's an expression: obsession is the basest form of love," the 'other' Conan interrupted, "Well, I guess for a dense guy like you, nothing I say is going to make you realize. So, how about we do a little experiment. If you're right, and you actually have no affection for Shinichi-sama as you claim, then you should be able to pull the trigger and save this guy's life. If I'm right, however, well…let's just say this guy isn't going to live to see tomorrow."_

_"You're insane," Kaito mumbled._

_"So, what's it going to be? Are you going to shoot?"_

_Kaito felt the question echo through the air, signaling the final confrontation between the 'other' Conan and himself. This was it, this would determine the fate of three lives. Slowly, Kaito raised his hand, bringing the gun right up to the 'other' Conan's forehead, allowing the metal to touch skin. The 'other' Conan didn't even blink though, nor did he back away, and instead just stared at Kaito with steady violet eyes. "You're wrong," Kaito said as he slowly cocked the gun, his finger resting loosely on the trigger, "This is the end."_

_For a brief moment, Kaito felt the world slow down. His breathing seemed to slow. His heart rate seemed to slow. His finger on the trigger seemed to slow._

_And ever so slowly, the trigger was pulled back. And back. And back until it finally couldn't be pulled back anymore._

_Bang!_

* * *

"Ah-ah," Shinichi sighed, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the blue, cloudless sky, "I wonder if I'm dead."

Normally, the thought would seem rather odd, seeing as dead people didn't think. But then, Shinichi realized his situation was rather…unusual. Though the pain in his head had since vanished, the deep hole was still there; even at this very moment, Shinichi could stick his finger in and reach the squishy part of his brain. There was no way that the wound wasn't mortal. And yet, in spite of it, here he was, enjoying the sunshine, lying on a hill topped with a large oak tree.

Where he was, he had no idea. How he arrived, he had no idea.

"Perhaps this is heaven," Shinichi mused, finding the place pleasant enough, albeit rather empty. As he continued to stare at the open sky, his mind drifted to the last thing he did remember- eating dinner. Right, he had been eating dinner with Ran and Kogoro. Then suddenly, the voice in his head had grew overwhelming loud, resulting in him becoming extremely nauseous. Shinichi remembered excusing himself to the bathroom and staring at himself in the mirror, and then-

What?

Then things blanked out; the memory stopped. Next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, in the middle of who knows where. From what Shinichi could see, there was absolutely nothing identifiable about his current location, because there was absolutely nothing period. Just the grass, the tree, and the sunshine.

Shinichi sighed again, feeling the warm rays hit his cheeks. Maybe he'd rest just a bit longer.

* * *

"Conan-kun?" Ran called, knocking on the bathroom door, "Are you okay?"

"Hai!" came the reply, followed by Conan walking out, "Sorry I took so long."

"No problem," Ran said, "By the way, have you seen Watson?" Conan shook his head. "I see," Ran mumbled, wondering if her father had taken the dog out for a walk or something. Then shaking the thought out of her head, she turned to Conan and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Un!" Conan nodded, watching as Ran went to retrieve her purse. He then went to his bedroom and got his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder before meeting Ran by the door. "Let's go," Conan said, grabbing onto Ran's hand as the two of them walked down the stairs.

As they passed by Café Poirot, Enomoto called out to them, waving her hand. "You two heading out?" she asked.

"Just for a bit," Ran replied with a smile.

"Okay, have fun!" Enomoto said.

Ran nodded. Then she and Conan proceeded down the street, heading towards the subway. They walked for a bit before Ran turned to her side and said, "I'm surprised you wanted to go somewhere, Conan-kun."

"Eh?" Conan remarked, looking up at Ran with big, blue eyes.

"I mean, you usually like to just sit in a room and read. Especially lately," Ran said, her words trailing off towards the end.

"Oh, well, there was this place I really wanted to go to with you, Ran-neechan," Conan replied casually, a wide grin on his face.

Ran smiled as well and said, "Wait, that's right, you haven't even told me where we're going."

"Se-cr-et," Conan replied with a wink.

* * *

"I see. So you pulled away at the last second," Jii said once Kaito had finished his account.

Kaito nodded. "The bullet flew right past him. And you know what he did next? The bastard laughed. He just squatted there and laughed. And then he pulled the trigger and blew that teenager's brains out," Kaito said, his entire body shaking. "I-I tried to help him, the teenager I mean. But he was already dead. That's when I got all that blood on my clothes. I couldn't save him, Jii-chan. I killed him."

"No, it wasn't you, Bocchama," Jii said, placing a hand on Kaito's shoulder. Kaito just shrugged it off though.

"It was me! It was my responsibility to make sure he didn't go out of control! I promised! I even pinky swore! But I couldn't stop it, Jii-chan. I couldn't stop it," Kaito said, on the verge of tears again, "And now, _he_ probably has complete control."

"The other personality, you mean?"

Kaito nodded. "What am I supposed to do, Jii-chan? How am I supposed to bring Shinichi back? How am I supposed to stop this nightmare?"

Jii wasn't sure what he should say to Kaito, what he could say to Kaito. He could tell that Kaito was obviously in pain; that much was evident from his body language alone. But the solution seemed beyond Jii's grasp. He didn't know much about other personalities and the like. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Bocchama, you mentioned that this Shinichi had a friend who was coming back to help him, right?"

"That's right," Kaito replied.

"Do you know who he is? Perhaps you can contact him?"

Kaito shook his head. "Shinichi never told me his name."

"What about characteristics? What he looked like? Anything to help identify him?"

Kaito thought about it for a moment, then replied, "Shinichi did mention that his friend was really knowledgeable about this sort of thing, which means he's probably a psychologist, or at least, a doctor of some kind. He was also forced out of Japan for some reason and is only recently making a return."

"See? That's something, Bocchama!" Jii exclaimed.

"I guess, but that's really not a lot of information to go on," Kaito said.

"And when has that stopped you before?"

At that, Kaito couldn't help but smirk. "I suppose it hasn't," he replied.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" Vermouth asked as she entered Etanoru's office. Immediately, she was reminded of how much she loathed the place; the atmosphere reeked of death.

"Ah, Vermouth, how was your trip?" Etanoru greeted, a fake smile on his face.

"Eventful," Vermouth replied blandly, "Though I doubt that's why you called me here."

"How can you be so cold towards your father? I haven't seen you in ages," Etanoru said with mock hurt.

Vermouth just laughed a biting sarcastic laugh, then asked, "My humblest apologies. How are you, honorable father?"

"You sure managed to develop a quick tongue."

"I had a great teacher."

Etanoru snorted at that. "Enough of this idle banter. The reason I called you here today is because I wanted you to meet someone."

"And who might that be?" Vermouth asked suspiciously. That's when a voice called out to her.

"Vermouth-neechan?" the voice asked, causing Vermouth to whip her head around. Her eyes opened wide with surprise when she saw who it was.

"Naku?" Vermouth asked, her voice coming out as a whisper. She could barely believe her eyes, and it was only when the boy ran up to her and hugged her leg that she was sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Vermouth-neechan!" Naku exclaimed excitedly, practically exploding with energy. He quickly grabbed onto Vermouth's hand, as if about to pull her out the door. "Ne, ne, let's go play! What do you want to do first? Build a sandcastle?"

"Later, Naku," Etanoru said, causing Naku to frown.

"But-!" Naku protested, however, Etanoru once again cut him off.

"You'll have plenty of chances to play with Vermouth later. Right now, she and Papa have to talk, okay?" Etanoru explained.

"Hai," Naku replied, obviously not happy about the decision.

"Papa's right. There's some things we have to discuss," Vermouth said, patting Naku on the head, "Oneechan will play with you lots later, okay?"

"Yatta!" Naku shouted, beaming from ear to ear. "I'll go wait for you outside then," he said, running off into the ventilation system. Vermouth watched as the boy disappeared, then stood silent for a moment, still trying to wrap her head around the situation. Finally, she turned to Etanoru and smiled.

"That was a rather big surprise you had for me," she said, a dangerous undertone hiding behind her words. "How long has it been?"

"What's that?" Etanoru asked, the bored look on his face masking the glee he was currently feeling. Etanoru loved watching people squirm, second guess themselves as their worlds began to crumble. He found it especially enjoyable when it came to people who thought they were in control, people like Vermouth, for example.

Vermouth, not amused, gave Etanoru a scowl before repeating her question. "How long has it been?" she asked, "How long has it been since you brought Naku back to life?"

* * *

"It was rather coincidental that we were on the same plane," Hakuba said as he and Redgrace walked through the terminal, heading towards baggage pickup, once again on Japanese soil.

Redgrace nodded. "Indeed. By the way, did you hear back from human resources?"

"Thanks to your recommendation, I passed with flying colors. I'll be able to finish high school with Interpol's special academy and then officially start working," Hakuba replied.

"Congratulation, though I'm not surprised. You're very talented."

"Hearing that from you means a lot," Hakuba said, honestly grateful for the compliment. Redgrace just laughed.

"I'm really not that impressive," he said. Hakuba was about to protest, and point out all the advancements Redgrace had made, when the man's phone suddenly started to ring. "Ah, sorry, give me moment," he said, pulling the cellphone out of his pocket.

"Sure," Hakuba said as he stood nearby, his eyes scanning the rotating conveyor belt for his suitcase. Beside him, he could hear Redgrace speaking over the phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is Dr. Redgrace. I'm sorry? You're going to have to slow down. Could you repeat that last part? Wait, did you say Kudo-kun?"

At the mention of 'Kudo-kun', Hakuba's ears instantly perked. He wondered if Redgrace was talking about Kudo Shinichi, and all of a sudden, curiosity got the better of him. Though he didn't condone eavesdropping, Hakuba could help but lean in a little closer.

"I see," Redgrace was saying, a troubled look on his face, "I see. That is a problem. Me? I'm at the airport. I just arrived in Japan. Beika? Yes, I think I can be there within the hour. Alright. Don't make any rash movements. Okay. I will see you then." With a final goodbye, Redgrace hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. Then turning to Hakuba, he said, "Sorry about that."

"No problem," Hakuba said. Then to satisfy his now overwhelming curiosity, he asked, "Sorry for eavesdropping, but about the 'Kudo-kun' you mentioned. That wouldn't happen to be Kudo Shinichi, the high school detective, would it?"

For a moment, Redgrace looked surprised. Then warily, he replied, "Yes, you know him?"

"A bit. We've worked a few cases together. Is he in some kind of trouble?" Hakuba asked. When Redgrace didn't respond, Hakuba could tell he was hesitating, debating how much to reveal. _Guess I'll have to give something up first_, Hakuba thought before asking, "Does it have anything to do with the Black Organization?" As soon as Hakuba said those words, he could tell he had gained Redgrace's trust.

"I think you should come to Beika with me," Redgrace replied.

* * *

"How long has it been since you brought Naku back to life?" Vermouth asked, repeating her question.

"A few months, give or take," Etanoru replied, showing little interest in continuing the conversation. Vermouth, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded angrily, hands slamming down on the table and causing it to tremble.

"Why are you so angry? I mean, what it is that you always say? A secret makes a woman woman? Why is it that men can't have secrets as well?" Etanoru asked. He put on a sly grin, just to tick Vermouth off further. It worked.

"Don't fuck with me!" Vermouth said, fuming from the ears.

Etanoru just laughed. "That's my line, my stupid, stupid child."

"What do you mean?" Vermouth hissed.

"How long has it been since you were planning to betray me?" Etanoru asked, catching Vermouth by surprise. "Since the Araide operation? When Sherry escaped? New York all those years ago? When your mother committed suicide?"

"Shut up!" Vermouth yelled, slapping Etanoru across the cheek, the force causing blood to seep out the corner of his mouth. Etanoru wiped the blood away, then continued as if nothing had happened.

"I needed leverage, you see. As long as I fed you the promise of bringing Naku back to life, you'd stay loyal to me. You'd keep running operations, keep killing, keep carrying out my will. The second I showed you that Naku was alive would be the second you betray me."

"Are you kidding me? You think I'd betray you, after all I've done for you?" Vermouth asked. She took a step back, an incredulous look on her face.

"I wonder, who do you think it is that raised you up all this time? Who do you think knows you better than anyone else, better than yourself even? Did you not think I'd be able to see through your pitiful masks? Your weakly spun lies? That boy, Edogawa Conan, is the clearest proof of your betrayal!"

"Edogawa Conan?" Vermouth asked, her eyes suddenly opening wide as a realization dawned upon her. "What did you do with him?!" she demanded.

Etanoru burst out into laughter. "This is exactly what I mean, Vermouth. You think you can catch me with your little tricks, but it is actually you who's been caught in the web with no escape."

"What did you do with him?!" Vermouth repeated, ignoring Etanoru's snide remarks.

"Exactly what you hoped for," Etanoru replied, "I made him one of us."

* * *

"Ne, Ran-neechan," Conan said as he pressed his face against the window the of subway car, trying to see outside.

"Nani, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"I've been wondering this for a while now," Conan began, turning around as he sat down properly in the seat, "You're really happy now, right?"

"That's right," Ran replied, giving Conan a curious look. She wondered where this was all going.

"Why?" Conan asked simply, the question so basic that it took Ran by surprise. She had to pause and think about it for a moment before replying.

"Well, I guess it's because something good happened."

"Eh? With Shinichi-niisan?" Conan asked.

Again Ran paused, this time giving Conan a strange look, as if unsure how to respond, and uncertain of the type of answer Conan was expecting to receive. Finally, she just nodded, without saying a word.

"Sou ka!" Conan exclaimed, "Something good happened with Shinichi-niisan, huh? Could you tell me what?"

Instantly, Ran blushed, her face turning red. She wondered why Conan was asking her a question he already knew the answer to, and an embarrassing one at that. "Ah, that is," she stuttered before the words trailed off into silence.

"Huh?" Conan asked, looking confused by Ran's reply. Then his expression abruptly changed, his eyes wrinkling as he smiled and said, "Wait, let me guess! He said, 'I love you,' right?"

"A-ah, that's what you meant," Ran said, breathing a sigh of relief. Then nodding, she added, "That's right. He did say that."

"And it made you happy when he said, I love you?" Conan asked. Ran nodded. "Why?" Conan asked again, and again, Ran had to pause, not having an answer on hand.

"Well," she began, trying to organize her thoughts, "I guess it's because it made me feel special. I mean, he's been gone all this time, but then he returned, just like he promised. And then he told me that he loved me. I don't know. I guess…I guess it just made me feel like the future is brighter than it was before."

"Oh," Conan remarked before asking, "Do you think Shinichi-niisan feels the same way?"

"Shinichi?" Ran asked, surprised. "Well, I would hope so," she answered, giving Conan a good long look. Conan, noticing that Ran was staring, put up a smile, then spun around in the seat so that he was once again face to the window.

"Ne, Ran-neechan," he asked, staring out the car as the subway approached the next station, "How would Shinichi-niisan feel if you died?"

"Huh?" Ran asked, not quite sure she understood the question.

When Ran failed to respond immediately, Conan quickly jumped out of the seat and said, "Ah, never mind. I'm sorry I asked you such a weird question." Then pointing to the tickertape, he added, "This is our stop, Ran-neechan. Shall we go?"

* * *

"You made him one of us?" Vermouth asked.

"It's what you wanted, right? I mean, wasn't this your whole big plan to 'bring down the organization'?" Etanoru mocked. When Vermouth didn't reply, he took the lead and continued. "You were planning on him joining the organization. And with me looking for a new successor, you thought it the perfect opportunity to put your 'Silver-bullet-kun' in a position of power, so that he'd be able to deconstruct the organization from the inside out. Isn't that right?"

"So you've known all along then?"

"Who do you think you're dealing with? Well, it was only a suspicion for a while. But when you so readily accepted the idea of kidnapping the kid and making him my successor, I knew my suspicions were true. I mean, you even requested that he'd be your partner! After decades of operating alone, did you not think that would raise some flags for me?"

At that, Vermouth collapsed onto the ground, feeling utterly defeated. In the midst of her helplessness, she muttered, "Don't think you've won just yet. Cool Guy wouldn't-"

Her words were interrupted by Etanoru, who again burst into a round of laughter. "Silly child, have you never even once considered how I intended to recruit this boy to join us? Well, I guess it was also convenient that you never showed up to the executives' meetings."

"What do you mean?" Vermouth asked, lifting her head up.

"I'm disappointed," Etanoru said, "that you would try to defy me with so little knowledge. I mean, has it never occurred to you that under normal circumstances, the child known as Edogawa Conan would never join an organization such as ours? Think about it, Vermouth. His sense of morality, of justice, it's too ingrained for him to ever consider condoning, let alone committing, the acts our organization engages in. And his seventeen years of life have only further reinforced those ideals."

"S-seventeen?" Vermouth stuttered, a look of horror emerging on her face.

Etanoru smirked. "You didn't honestly think I was ignorant to the fact that Edogawa Conan was Kudo Shinichi, did you? After all, I'm the one who made him that way."

"W-what? That's not possible. It was an accident-" Vermouth said.

"Accident? You really think this is all just some coincidence? That Kudo Shinichi just _happened_ to get lucky and avoid dying from a poison that we've, with the _best_ scientists in the world, spent _years_ developing? And it just so _happened_ that Sherry was doubly lucky, managing to use a poison to escape death? Silly, Vermouth. The drug that Kudo Shinichi and Sherry took was _designed_ to have a de-aging effect."

"Then," Vermouth began, a scary realization dawning on her.

"Exactly," Etanoru said, "This plan has been in motion for the past year, even before the kidnapping, ever since Kudo Shinichi was first knocked out in Tropical Land and fed the drug that shrunk him to the size of a seven-year-old child. And now, one year later, the plan is nearly complete. There's just one step left until the butterfly emerges from the cocoon."

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Etanoru asked, standing up and walking over to a nearby closet. He opened the doors, revealing a monitor inside, on which a video feed was currently playing. "Contact lenses camera, recently manufactured by our engineering department," Etanoru explained, "Gorgeous image resolution, right?"

Vermouth, however, wasn't paying Etanoru any heed, instead focused solely on the girl that was centered on the screen. She recognized the girl immediately. "Angel," Vermouth said as the word escaped her mouth. Then regaining her senses, she leaped up and shouted, "Where is this? What are you planning to do to her?"

"I told you, there's one more step before my plan comes to maturation. After all, _he _is a child of pain, born of Kudo Shinichi's suffering."

"You can't mean-!" Vermouth exclaimed, only to have her fears confirmed by a smile. In an instantly, Vermouth was beside the man, her hands clutching the collar of his shirt. "Tell me where she is," she demanded. Etanoru, however, refused to speak. Realizing that she'd never be able to get him to talk, at least not in the time she had, Vermouth let go, frantically trying to think of an idea. Suddenly, she remembered that Conan still had a tracker implanted near his gut, which was constantly transmitting his location- all she needed was the receiver. Flipping through the drawers of Etanoru's desk, and making a mess of the place, Vermouth eventually found what she was looking for. Turning on the receiver, she immediately noted the blinking dot on the screen- Conan's current location. Without another second's hesitation, Vermouth ran out the door, leaving Etanoru alone in the office. Etanoru, though, was still sitting calmly in his chair, having not even protested when Vermouth was trashing his desk, looking for the receiver. On his face was the ever-knowing expression, the confidence of a man who knew victory was at hand.

"It's too late, Vermouth," he said to the now empty room, "This is checkmate."

* * *

Shinchi felt himself awoken from his nap by a slight nudge on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he found a figure hovering over him, casting him in a shadow. The figure's position, with the sun to his back, also obscured his features, and it wasn't until he spoke that Shinichi recognized who it was. "Are you enjoying yourself, Shinichi-sama?" the figure asked.

Instantly, Shinichi jumped up, taking a step back to distance himself. "You! What are you doing here?" Shinichi exclaimed.

"What am I-?" the figure asked, letting the question trail off. Then with a smile, he said, "I suppose I'm here to invite you to the final show."

"Final show?"

The figure nodded. "Well, that's only if you can find the viewing room," he added with a shrug. Shinichi felt his eye twitch with annoyance, realizing that he was being toyed with.

"Enough of your games! I'm going to have you explain what's going on, even if I have to beat it out of you," Shinichi said, leaping forward at the figure. To his surprise though, he passed right through, landing hard on the ground. Turning his head back, Shinichi watched in stunned silence as the figure began to fade away, like vapor vanishing in the wind, leaving behind a singular echo: "Use the door."

"Door?" Shinichi wondered, glancing around. That's when he noticed the isolated door, appearing as if by magic, at the top of the hill, standing next to the oak tree. Shinichi climbed up and approached the door, inspecting it with caution as he circled it several times. From outward appearance alone, the door looked completely normal. With a hesitant hand, Shinichi reached for the knob and swung the door open. To his surprise, he found a complete blackness beyond the doorway.

"Oi, oi, what is this? A magic trick?" he mumbled, slowly sticking his hand into the darkness. Instantly, it disappeared from sight, though Shinichi could still feel it.

_"Use the door,_" the figure's voice again echoed, prompting Shinichi to glance around. However, like before, he was completed alone, with not a soul in sight. It was just him and the door. Finally building his resolve, Shinichi decided to bite the bullet and let what may happen happen. He forced himself forward, his body disappearing into the darkness. It was less than a minute before he vanished completely, leaving behind the grass, the tree, and the sunshine.

Slowly, the door swung shut.

* * *

"Ha? What the hell are you doing here?" Kaito exclaimed, noticing Hakuba approaching.

"I could ask the same of you," Hakuba replied with a shrug.

"I'm the one who called him here!" Kaito said, pointing to Redgrace.

At that, Hakuba appeared surprised. Turning to Redgrace, he asked, "Is that true? Kuroba-kun's the one that called you?" Redgrace didn't respond though, his eyes focused instead on the fourth member of their group. Hakuba, noticing this, quickly said, "Ah, I called her here. Her name's Haibara Ai."

Bending forward, Redgrace extended a hand out. "Pleasure to meet you, Haibara-san."

"Likewise," Haibara said coolly as she shook Redgrace's hand. Then with narrowed eyes, she asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Redgrace just shrugged. "Who knows?" he said, to which Haibara replied with an, "I see."

The two locked gazes for a moment longer before Haibara pulled away, turned to Hakuba and asked, "Kudo-kun's done something really stupid this time, hasn't he?"

Hakuba nodded, but was interrupted by Kaito before he could speak. "He said you could fix him!" Kaito exclaimed, directing the comment at Redgrace, "Shinichi wasn't lying, was he? You can reverse the process, can't you?"

"In theory, yes," Redgrace nodded, "But the bigger issue is finding him first. Without that, we can't do anything."

"His tracking glasses have been disabled," Haibara said, "So we can't use that."

"Anyone have an idea of where he might be?" Hakuba asked, however the group remained silent, with no one having a clue.

Kaito could feel his spirits drop, which must have showed on his face as Redgrace suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I guess we'll just have to do this the old fashion way. After all, we have feet for a reason, right? And if my intuition is correct, he should still be somewhere in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Let's go and find him."

Hearing those words, Kaito lifted his head, a smile forming on his face. "Hai," he nodded, feeling better than before. "Let's split up, we can cover more ground that way. And we should exchange cell numbers. That way, if any of us find something, we can let the others know," he suggested. Everyone in the group agreed. Once they were done, Kaito looked around, letting his eyes linger on each member- Hakuba, Redgrace, Haibara. "Let's go find Shinichi. Let's end this once and for all," he said.

"Hai," everyone replied, scattering towards one of the four cardinal directions.

Kaito went south.

* * *

"Just a bit longer, Ran-neechan," Conan said as he led Ran forward, holding her by the hand.

Ran just giggled, her eyes still closed as Conan had instructed. "Conan-kun, just where are we going?" she asked, realizing that they had been walking for a while now.

"It's just up ahead," Conan said.

"Hai, hai," Ran replied as she moved along. Below, she could feel the ground become rougher, as if they were entering natural terrain, no longer on sidewalk or pavement. And for a moment, she was tempted to open her eyes, not wanting to trip on anything.

As if reading her mind though, Conan said, "Make sure you don't open your eyes, okay?"

"It's a surprise, right?" Ran replied.

"Un!" Conan said.

After walking for approximately ten more minutes, they finally stopped. "Can I open my eyes now, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"Un, go ahead," Conan replied.

As Ran slowly opened her eyes, she looked around, wondering where they had ended up. And with her eyes having been squeezed shut for so long, it took her a moment before they adjusted and she could see clearly again. However, when her vision did become clear, she immediately recognized their location, an involuntary gasp escaping her lips. They were at a church, one that had long since been abandoned, though occupied not so long ago- occupied…by Ran and her kidnapper.

Trembling at the sight, she grabbed onto Conan, trying to pull him away. "We should get out of here," she said. Conan, however, didn't budge, and instead, just turned around.

"But this is the surprise, Ran-neechan," he said cheerfully.

"W-why, why would you bring me here?" Ran asked.

At that, a wicked smile crept onto Conan's face. "Don't you think it's the perfect place for a last supper?" he asked.

* * *

Passing through the doorway, Shinichi found himself in a bland looking hall, much like one would see in an office building, with white-washed walls and flooring. To either side were numerous doors, which seemed to extend down ad infinitum. Turn around, Shinichi discovered that the door he had passed through to get there had disappeared, leaving him stranded.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Shinichi wondered aloud. He didn't have to wait long, however, as suddenly, a voice could be heard, echoing throughout the hall.

"Shinichi. Shinichi, I love you," the voice said. Shinichi immediately recognized it as Ran. Instantly, he started running, searching for the source of the voice.

"Ran, where are you?" Shinichi called, bursting through a nearby door. He only found an empty room though. Quickly exiting, he tried another door and then another, but they were all to no avail. He couldn't seem to find Ran anywhere. Just as he was about to stop looking, thinking that he had hallucinated the whole event, the voice echoed again.

"Please don't leave me, Shinichi. Please stay with me forever. Forever. I love you, Shinichi."

"Ran! Ran!" Shinichi called, again sprinting into motion.

"…it made me feel special…he returned, just like he promised…told me that he loved me…I guess it just made me feel like the future is brighter than it was before," Ran's voice resounded, lingering in the air.

"Ran!" Shinichi yelled, somehow reaching the end of the hall, placing his hand on the door he found there. Instantly, Shinichi could sense that this door was different than the others. Without hesitation, he turned the handle and made his way inside, stepping into a room that was completely dark. Behind, the door slammed shut and Shinichi could hear a lock turn, trapping him inside. None of that concerned him, however, his mind still focused on finding Ran.

"Ran?" Shinichi called again into the darkness. He looked around, but with literally no lighting, he couldn't see a thing. Suddenly, a voice spoke, surprising him.

"I knew you'd find this place, Shinichi-sama," the voice said. Abruptly, the room filled with brightness, blinding Shinichi momentarily. When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked out, noticing a boy standing next to an old fashion movie projector.

"Wolf!" Shinichi hissed, referring to the boy that looked nearly identical to himself. Only two characteristics distinguished them apart- white hair and violet eyes.

"Are you ready for the show?" Wolf asked, tapping the projector.

"What show?" Shinichi demanded.

Instead of answering, Wolf just smiled. For some reason, Shinichi found it annoying, seeing his own face grin like that. Before he could say anything, however, Wolf turned on the projector, causing a clanking sound to emit from the machine. On the opposite wall, an image came into view, like the feed from a video camera. Centered on the screen was a girl, one whom Shinichi was intimately familiar with.

"Ran!" Shinichi exclaimed, running forward and touching the image on the wall, as if by doing so he could be teleported there. Then quickly spinning around, he turned to Wolf and said, "What is the meaning of this? What are you planning to do to Ran?"

"It's not me, Shinichi-sama. It's we. Or have you forgotten that it's your body?" Wolf replied.

"If it's my body, then get the fuck out," Shinichi said.

Wolf just smiled. "Don't worry. It'll all be over soon, Shinichi-sama," he said as he once again started to vanish.

"Wait! Get back here! Wolf! Wolf!" Shinichi yelled, grasping at the air. Then turning to the projected image, he yelled, "Get away from here, Ran! Get away now!"

* * *

"Last supper? What are you talking about, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, the fear evident in her voice. For some reason, Conan was starting to scare her. Perhaps it was the look in his eyes, or that expression on his face. Whatever it was, Ran's instincts were warning her of danger.

_"Get away from here, Ran!" _a voice suddenly echoed in her head, causing Ran to look up and search the air.

"Shinichi?" she mumbled. However, aside from her and Conan, the place was deserted.

"Ran-neechan, shall we go inside?" Conan asked, pulling Ran out of her thoughts. He held out a hand for her, and Ran felt her own extending to take it. Before they made contact, however, Ran stopped, letting her arm drop to the side. A frown came onto Conan's face. "Is something wrong, Ran-neechan?" he asked.

Ran didn't reply, however, and instead just took a step back, distancing herself from Conan.

"What is it, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked, his hand still outstretched, "Come on, let's go inside."

"S-something's wrong with you," Ran finally said, voicing her gut feeling. She had known Conan long enough to know that the person in front of her was different, maybe not in terms of appearance, or even body language- Ran couldn't quite put a finger on it- but there was a feeling of unfamiliarity. There was something foreign.

As Ran continued to back away, Conan advanced, laughing his patented nervous laugh while saying, "W-what are you talking about, Ran-neechan? It's me, Conan-kun."

"No! You're not Conan-kun!" Ran exclaimed, causing Conan to pause in surprise. He quickly recovered though, a faint smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

"I guess it was asking too much to try and fool you," he said, holding his arms up in surrender. Then taking off his backpack, he reached inside and pulled out a gun, aiming it at Ran. Ran instantly felt her muscles tense, her fight or flight response kicking in.

Still trying to back away, she asked, "Who are you and what did you do with Conan-kun?"

"I'm not really a believer in the whole 'bad guy reveals his evil plot while the hero stalls for time' gag," Conan said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I suppose I can grant you one question, for the sake of someone I know."

"Someone you know? What do you mean?" Ran asked.

"Are you sure you want that to be your one question?" Conan replied, "Isn't there something more pressing that you've been meaning ask? Something that you've been dying to know? I mean, you have those fingerprints in your purse, right?"

At that, Ran's eyes instantly turned to her purse, which was still slung over her shoulder. "You don't mean-" Ran began, much to Conan's chagrin.

"Exactly. Don't you want to know the truth about Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi?"

* * *

"Ran!" Shinichi shouted, banging on the wall of the room, "Get away! Don't listen to him! Just get away!" Despite all his yelling, however, Ran didn't appear to hear. "Damn it!" Shinichi cursed, realizing that he was trapped in the room. Even the door he had entered from had vanished, leaving him with no way out. All he could do was watch as the scene unfolded.

"Damn it! Ran! Please hear me!" Shinichi yelled again, "You have to get away, before it's too late!"

* * *

"Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi-?" Ran asked.

"That's right. You want to know, don't you? That's why you went out of your way to get fingerprints. I have to admit though, I thought you would have compared them by now," Conan said, gun still pointed at Ran.

"Shinichi said he was going to tell me himself, once everything was over."

"And you just believed him?" Conan asked with laugh. Then with a devilish grin, he said, "Say, you have the prints with you, right? Why don't you compare them, right here, right now?"

"Compare them?" Ran asked, looking down at her purse.

"You want to know, don't you?"

"I do," Ran mumbled, "but not like this."

"Ha?" Conan remarked, "Then why did you collect them in the first place?"

"I-I don't know. But I think it'd be better to wait until Shinichi told me himself," Ran replied.

"You really think he's going to tell you? Just because he made some promise? This is the guy that walked out on you after the two of you slept together," Conan countered.

"Stop it-"

"This is the guy that abandoned you for weeks at a time, always promising to return, always telling you to wait for him."

"Stop it-"

"This is the guy-"

"I said, stop it!" Ran yelled, hands moving to cover her ears. "Please, stop it," she begged.

Conan's expression softened. "Don't you want to know? So that the two of you can finally move on?"

The words hit Ran square in the chest, causing her to let down her guard. For a moment, she forgot that there was even a gun pointed at her head. "Move on?" she repeated silently, her hand reaching inside her purse, pulling out two sets of laminated prints. She held them with trembling hands, unsure what to do next.

"Go on, compare them," Conan urged.

Ran stood motionless, however, paralyzed by indecision, wondering what she should do. She wanted to know badly, but then, she was also afraid of the truth, afraid that her suspicions would become a reality. Old fears quickly began to rise to the surface once more. As she was pondering, Conan interrupted.

"You know why I'm here right now?" he asked, causing Ran to look up, "It's because he ran away and gave up, on his family, on his friends, and on you."

"Shinichi gave up…on me?" Ran asked, "No, he wouldn't!"

"Just think about it. Why else would we be in this situation?" Conan asked.

At that, Ran could feel her resolve wavering, the idea of Shinichi abandoning her taking root, watered by her past experiences of him disappearing. She was always looking at his back, even in her dreams, always watching as he ran away from her. Always. With uncertain hands, Ran lifted the prints up and held them side by side. Her heart began to beat faster, her breathing increasing as well. After an eternity of silence, she finally did it. She compared the prints.

"Well?" Conan asked, moving closer to Ran. The look on her face though was answer enough.

Still, she replied, "They're a match."

* * *

"They're a match," Ran said, her voice coming out of the projector and echoing through the small room. Instantly, Shinichi dropped to the ground, realizing the weight of what just happened. Ran had finally discovered his secret, that Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi were one and the same.

"Not like this," Shinichi mumbled, his fist pounding the ground in frustration, "I didn't want her to find out like this." He had wanted to tell her himself, give her an account for his lies all this time. Or at the very least, give her something to direct her anger towards. But now, Shinichi realized, none of that was possible. Looking at the image of Ran on the wall, the broken expression on her face, the hollow look in her eyes, Shinichi knew it was too late. "Damn it!" Shinichi cursed, though he couldn't wallow for long. Immediately, warning bells started going off in his head as he sense what was about to happen next- it was his body after all.

Jumping up, Shinichi sprinted towards the projection, all the while yelling, "Run, Ran! Get away!"

* * *

"I see. They're a match," Conan said, continuing to move closer to Ran, "So I guess this answers your question, doesn't it?"

"Hai," Ran said softly, all the emotion gone from her voice.

"Well, then I suppose this is where we part ways," Conan said, causing Ran to look up. While she had been distracted, Conan had managed to close the entire distance between them, the gun now pointed square at her chest. Ran could feel the hard metal, pressing against her shirt. For some reason though, she wasn't afraid. She didn't want to run. She just felt…empty.

"Sayonara, Ran-san," Conan said before he pulled the trigger.

Instantly, a bullet ripped through her chest, tearing through her heart. Ran gasped, not only from the pain, but for air as blood began to fill her lungs- it felt like she was suffocating. Then finding her legs suddenly weak, she collapsed, falling face first onto the ground. As she slowly bled out, choking on her own blood, her mind went completely blank, filled only with what she saw before her.

A blade of grass. A caterpillar. A white rabbit. A broken watch.

Then everything disappeared.

* * *

_Shinichi, where are you? _Kaito wondered as he ran through the streets, frantically looking in every nook and cranny. To his disappointment, however, his efforts yielded little result. Shinichi was nowhere to be seen. Finally stopping from exhaustion, Kaito found a wall to lean on, using the chance to catch his breath. Just then, the phone in his pocket began to vibrate. Instantly, Kaito pulled it out, thinking that one of the other group members might have found something. Looking at the still cracked screen of his phone, however, he was surprised to find that it was a text message from a restricted number.

Opening it, Kaito read the message aloud, "You'll find her there once more. Fourth street, abandoned church by the footbridge." Scratching his head, Kaito wondered if someone had sent him the text by mistake. Then suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Shinichi?!" Kaito exclaimed, making a mad dash for the indicated location.

* * *

A knock on the door caused Etanoru to look up. "Come in," he ordered, smiling when he saw who it was. "I was watching your show," Etanoru said, "It was simply brilliant. With this, he'll be gone for sure."

"I'm glad you thought so," the visitor replied.

"I also read about last night in the paper. Seems you took care of that 'Kaito'?"

"Hai, he won't be a problem anymore."

"Good. Good," Etanoru said as he got out of his chair. He then limped over to the visitor and placed his hands on the visitor's shoulders. "I've been meaning to say this for a while now," Etanoru began, the look in his eyes somewhere between affection and pride, "Okaeri, Wolf, no, Wolfram-kun."

"Tadaima, Boss."

* * *

Vermouth glanced down at the receiver, wondering if it was broken. After all, the dot on the screen had been stationary for a while now. Still, seeing as she was rather close to the transmitter's current location, she proceeded, finding herself in a field of some sort. According to the data, Conan was supposed to be nearby. Glancing around, however, Vermouth didn't see anyone.

"Damn it, where are you, Cool Guy?" Vermouth mumbled, pacing around. That's when she noticed something on the ground. Bending over, she picked it up, finding that it was the transmitter that was supposed to be inside Conan. Blood covered the transmitter's surface, as if it had been forcefully removed. "What happened?" Vermouth wondered, just as her eyes caught sight of the blood on the grass, a large pool that then trailed off into the distance. Following the blood trail, Vermouth arrived at the doorsteps of an abandoned church, the blood extending within. With bated breath, Vermouth pushed the door, letting it creak open before stepping inside.

Once inside, she immediately gasped, her eyes settling on the altar at the front, in particular, the girl that laid there, motionless. "Angel!" Vermouth exclaimed, running forward. She stopped short of reaching Ran, however, the sight gluing her feet to the ground. Vermouth never considered herself squeamish, especially given what she had done in her life, but the scene before her made her want to vomit. On the ground was Ran, blood covering the entire part of her body. She was posed with arms outstretched to either side, feet together, almost like a crucifixion. And the worst part were the eyes, which were still wide open, though long past seeing.

"Angel," Vermouth said, covering her mouth to avoid puking. Then taking decisive action, she pulled out a knife, using it to cut off one of Ran's fingers. Vermouth wrapped the finger in a handkerchief, then tucked it away into a pocket. Just as she was doing so, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside. Instantly, she jumped behind a nearby pew and hid herself from sight. It wasn't long after that she saw a teen rush in, making a beeline for the altar. Peeking out, Vermouth for a moment thought that she saw Shinichi, so similar did the teen appear. However, upon closer inspection, she realized it was someone else, someone unfamiliar. The teen paused at the altar, looking stunned for a moment, then turned sideways and started puking. Vermouth could hear the teen's gasps for air, which were then followed by wails of sorrow.

* * *

Kogoro was drinking a beer when the phone call came in. With one hand on the bottle, he used his free hand to pick up, giving a slurred greeting as he did so. On the other end was Megure, apparently with some important news. As Megure spoke, the expression on Kogoro's face could be seen to shift from one to the next: apathy to annoyance to anger to anguish. "You're joking right, Keibu?" Kogoro asked incredulously, finally jumping out of his chair, the chorded phone nearly pulled off the table. Something was then said on the other end, something which caused Kogoro to drop the bottle he was holding; the bottle hit the ground and shattered in an explosion of glass.

"Uso da," he mumbled, the phone slipping from his hand.

* * *

**One Week Later**

* * *

"We are here not to celebrate a death, but a life, the life of Mouri Ran, who at the young age of seventeen was taken from us," the minister said as his eyes scanned around the room, stopping on both friends and family. In fact, the room was rather packed with people, Ran seemingly having been loved by all. There was her best friend Sonoko, her parents Kogoro and Eri, the Tokyo police- Megure, Takagi, and Satou- her classmates from school- even the waitress from Café Poirot, Azusa Enomoto, was there.

And then of course, there was the Shinichi search party: Kaito, Hakuba, Redgrace, and Haibara. The four of them stood together near the back of the room, not wanting to stand out too much. Kaito, who had discovered Ran's body, had been asked to say something at the funeral, but he quickly refused, citing that he didn't know Ran well enough. The actual reason, however, was that he feared he would let slip the truth about what had really happened. The police, upon finding a broken watch, and given Ran's previous encounter, had concluded that the death was due to the kidnapper, the Night's Shadow, whose body was never recovered. Police still believed that the man might be alive, somehow surviving after falling into the river. Kaito, however, knew the truth, knew that it was actually Shinichi who had killed Ran.

_No, not Shinichi. It was him,_ Kaito silently corrected, wondering where Shinichi was at the moment. After the events that had transpired, Conan/Shinichi had disappeared, vanished without a trace. Though Kaito had insisted the police be on the lookout, ultimately, the police concluded that the boy must have been taken by the Night's Shadow, again pinning it on the kidnapper. And with no evidence to the contrary, Kaito conceded, letting the police believe what they will, even if it meant that they were chasing a ghost.

Kaito sighed, the melancholy he felt indescribable by words alone. Looking out the window, he felt both longing and frustration, both outrage and shame. "Shinichi, where are you?" he mumbled.

* * *

"Welcome back," Etanoru greeted, watching as Vermouth entered the office, a bowl of food in her hand, "He's not here, you know."

"I know," Vermouth replied as she approached the desk, "I was looking for you anyways." She set the bowl down in front of Etanoru and offered him a spoon.

"What's this?" Etanoru asked, eyeing the food.

"I made some soup for you, Otousan," Vermouth replied, "I hear you've been coughing a lot lately."

"Ah, thank you," Etanoru said, taking the spoon. He scooted up some soup, then slurped it down. "Did you make this yourself?" he asked.

"You're not afraid it's poisoned?" Vermouth replied.

"The poison's not in the soup," Etanoru said with a shrug, "And besides, I don't have much time left anyways."

"You just know everything, don't you?" Vermouth asked, pulling out a syringe from her pocket. Then without hesitation, she stabbed it into Etanoru's neck and pushed down on the plunger.

Etanoru let out a sigh, then turned to Vermouth and said, "I'll see you when I'm reborn."

Vermouth pulled out the syringe and then watched as the life slowly left Etanoru's body, his arms falling limply to the sides. Afterwards, she leaned in close, moving her head right next to his ear.

"Yeah, see you in hell, you bastard," she whispered.

* * *

_Narrator: And so concludes the first part of this tale, of friendships formed, and loved ones lost. It is the tale of mystery, misdirection, and misanthropes, tied together by the life of one boy, who is much more than he appears. And now that the tale is finished, you might anguish, lament at the sorrowful end. You might ask, why is this a comedy, when it makes one not want to laugh but cry. Here, I'll tell you a secret imparted to me by the Muses. In this world, there is both light and shadow; one cannot exist without the other. Only with shadows do you find the brightest light and only with light do you find the deepest shadows. Such is the same with comedy and tragedy. With the greatest hope comes the greatest despair. And in the greatest despair, one finds the sweetest hope. To quote one of my favorite movies, any act has three stages. The first is "the pledge", where something normal is shown. This is the original manga. The second is "the turn", when something amazing happens, when the ordinary becomes extra-ordinary. Hopefully, you found it to be true of this story. The third, and most important, step is "the prestige". As the quotation goes, simply making something disappear isn't good enough; you have to bring it back. And with this in mind, let us proceed to part two of my tale, the world once ten years have come and gone. Allow me to show you this world, "this prestige"; allow me to bring it back._

_I wonder, will you continue to follow, as we go along on this journey? I wonder, will you continue to follow, as we search for Redemption?_

To be continued in Part Two of Memoires of a Detective: Redemption.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

And we're doneeeeeeee! HOLY CRAP that chapter just went on and on and on xD Well, new longest chapter, woot! Anyways, hope that chapter proved to be an epic enough conclusion.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For the next chapter, it's going to be a fluff/interlude chapter bridging this part and the next. **PLEASE WRITE TO ME ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THIS PART OF THE STORY. I'LL ANSWER THEM IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

That being said, thanks for all the wonderful support you guys have given me! I couldn't have done it without you, and you, and you. My little idea for a short story turned into this monstrous thing that's already 49 chapters and who knows how many words. xD

Also, it'll probably be a while before I begin part two, seeing as I have to go brainstorm some ideas, so...stay tuned (and follow!) :D

Peace out,

-Jer


	50. Interlude: Black Diaries Entry 50

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of DC.

* * *

Login: achemi  
Password: ********

File: Black_Diary_Entry_#50  
Format: mp3

Transcript:

With the executives in a frenzy after the Boss' death, I suppose it's up to me to make this audio report. What a pain. Ah, I didn't actually mean that. Wait, what the hell? You can't restart? Oh well, maybe it'll be edited out later. At any rate, I guess I'll proceed with the report.

The date is currently October 14, 2013. It has been about four months since the Boss passed away. Or I should say, since Vermouth murdered him. Of course, there's no solid proof. There were no surveillance cameras in the Boss' office and Vermouth was too experienced to leave anything behind. But the fact that she vanished, and cut off all communications with us, shortly after the Boss' death leads me to strongly believe she's the culprit. Based on the needle mark on the Boss' neck, she likely injected him with potassium chloride, killing him rather quickly. Her whereabouts are currently unknown and we probably won't find her, if she really wants to hide. But if I ever do see her, I'll be sure to put a bullet between her eyes.

All that being said, I can understand why she did what she did. Not many in the organization are privy to it, but I was one of the few who knew about her infatuation with the girl nicknamed "Angel", also known as Mouri Ran. At first, I was curious as to why Vermouth would care about some random high school girl, so I did some digging. It turns out, their paths crossed once before, in New York City. Though I don't know what exactly transpired, I have a sense that Vermouth treasures the event deeply, enough so that she'd betray the Boss. Well, then again, it might all be due to that boy, Edogawa Conan. I'm sorry, I meant Wolfram, our new boss.

It's rather strange, having the child as a boss. I mean, I know in my mind that he's actually seventeen. But seeing his seven-year-old body, paired with those piercing violet eyes, it sends shivers down my spine, not that I'd ever show it of course. Hell, now that I think about it, even as a seventeen year old, Wolfram is rather frightening. His intelligence, and ability to read the hearts of people, is just as profound as the Boss', perhaps even more so. And he's rather sadistic to boot. I can see why the Boss spent a year planning this project.

Right, I suppose I'll delve into some of the details of Project Emergence. It began about two years ago, when the Boss started searching for his successor to the organization. The Boss' health had been progressively declining, courtesy of an imperfect version of the TD drug he had taken. The drug was slowly eating away at his organs, causing them to revert back to undetermined stem cells. Organ failure was inevitable and the Boss, knowing this, began his search for a suitable replacement. I don't know too much of the details, but for some reason or other, Gin was excluded as a possibility. Moreover, the Boss brushed over all the executives, including myself, turning his search outward. And that's when he stumbled upon the teenager, Kudo Shinichi.

At the time, Kudo Shinichi was just starting to make waves in Tokyo. After solving several murder cases, he came to be heralded as the "Savior of the Tokyo Police Force" and the "Detective of the East". This naturally caught the Boss' attention and he sent several organization members to observe, discover if Kudo Shinichi would be suitable as an heir. What the scouts found was that Shinichi was indeed smart, a genius even. In terms of intelligence, leadership and ambition, he'd more than qualify to lead the organization. There was just one problem: his incredibly strong sense of justice and morality. From the reports, the Boss concluded that Shinichi was the straight-arrow type, one to never forsake the path of righteousness. And he most certainly would never engage in the types of activities the organization was involved with. Because of this, I figured the Boss would give up on Shinichi and turn his sights elsewhere. To my surprise however, the Boss didn't let up, instead developing a plan to get Shinichi on our side. That was Project Emergence.

The project consisted of three different phases. The first phase was to give Shinichi a completed version of the TD drug, causing him to de-age. This was done not only to make Shinichi easier to control, but from what I understand, will allow Shinichi to lead the organization ad infinitum. It's a scary thought. At any rate, the first stage was completed a year and a half ago, when Gin was tasked to force Shinichi into taking the drug. Then a year quietly passed as we worked on other things, most notably Project NeuroNet. But that doesn't mean we forgot about Project Emergence or Kudo Shinichi. In fact, our agents ran into him several times by accident, much to the Boss' chagrin. Anyways, it was a year later when we finally began part two of Project Emergence: the kidnapping and initial hypnosis. See, the Boss' plan was to keep the hardware intact while upgrading the software so to speak. He wanted Shinichi's brain- his reasoning, his memory capacity, his observational skills- all the little things that were determined by his brain's neuroanatomy, his hardware. The rest, the software, could be wiped clean, namely: his personality. To do this, to replace Shinichi's personality, the Boss relied on a phenomenon normally seen in patients of trauma.

To put it simply, Shinichi was subjected to torture, of high enough intensity, that his mind finally broke, splitting off and creating a new personality that would be able to deal with the pain. That new personality is Wolfram. Of course, we had trouble getting Shinichi to break at first. It was no surprise though, given his strength of will. Plus, we could only use torture methods that would not leave a mark, like electricity and water, else our covert hypnosis would have gone to waste. Once Shinichi did start showing cracks however, his entire psyche broke. This was likely due to his previous experience of pretending to be two people: Shinichi and Conan. Thus, in a way, Shinichi was already primed to develop multiple-personalities. How much of this was intended by the Boss I will never know, but in the end, we were able to successful generate a new personality.

Once the personality known as Wolfram was created, the Boss went to work educating him, convincing him to join us. How the Boss managed to convince him, I'm not quite sure. I wasn't there during the conversations. But in the end, Wolfram conceded and became one of us. Once this was done, there was only one more step left, phase three.

Phase three of Project Emergence was to ensure that Kudo Shinichi would never re-appear. Naturally, this proved a difficult task, seeing as Shinichi was the main personality and hence had most control of his body. But the Boss thought up an interesting plan. He reasoned that Wolfram was born of Shinichi's pain and so long as Shinichi was in pain, Wolfram would hold command. Thus, what better way to cause Shinichi the ultimate pain than to kill off his girlfriend, Mouri Ran? Wolfram seemed to understand this point as well and actually carried out the task without the Boss' command. Leading Ran into the middle of the woods, Wolfram shot her and killed her.

The pain Shinichi must have been in, seeing the scene...I can relate. In all likelihood, he will never recover, trapped as a prisoner in his own mind. And with this, Wolfram has secured his hold over Shinichi's body. He has also taken his position as head of the organization. What this means for the future, and for us, I'm not sure. But one thing is for certain: the organization is going to experience huge changes in the coming months. Heck, Gin has already left, forming an independent splinter group. Naturally, that has led to quite a bit of turmoil and confusion among the other executives...

Ah, looks like I've let myself ramble. Funnily enough though, I've ended full-circle, right back where I started. Well, that is for me now. I wonder if anyone actually listens to these things.

Bourbon, signing out.

* * *

**Post Story Notes**

Another A/N in disguise :D BTW, Wolf = Wolfram = type of cocktail, if anyone was wondering.

Hope this chapter explained a few things. Next time we'll be starting with the second part, which happens after a ten year timeskip.

Cheers.

PS. Here are some short teasers to get you guys excited ;)

* * *

"Okami-sama! Look, look! I made some pudding!" Naku exclaimed as he barged into the room.

"I told you to knock first, Naku," Wolf mumbled, looking up from his reports.

"Hai, hai. Here, try some," Naku said. He held up a spoonful of pudding to Wolf's face and waved it enticingly. "Say, Ahh!"

Wolf gave Naku a death glare, one that the latter seemed to miss completely. Then with a sigh, he said, "I can eat it myself later. Put it down on the table."

"Don't be like that, Okami-sama," Naku insisted, still trying to shove the spoon into Wolf's mouth.

Wolf turned his head away, refusing to be fed like a baby. It was embarrassing to say the least. "Later," he grumbled.

"Say, Ahh!" Naku repeated, completely ignoring Wolf's wishes.

"Later!" Wolf finally shouted, losing his temper as he suddenly turned back around, about to give Naku another glare. He inadvertently bumped into the spoon however, causing pudding to spill all over his face. "Naaakkkkuuuu!" Wolf yelled, jumping out of his chair. Naku just laughed as he ran for the door, trying to make a quick getaway.

* * *

"Wataru, why? You said you weren't going to," Satou cried, tears forming in her eyes. Takagi stood motionless however, his face completely stoic. His eyes were devoid of expression and for a moment, Satou wondered if he could even see her. _Look at me, Wataru. See me like I see you,_ Satou pleaded silently, her eyes moving from his body to his face to the gun in his hand. It was pointed at her.

* * *

"You gave up everything! School, magic, family, friends...me," Aoko said, not caring that she drew the attention of all the patrons in the restaurant.

"Is that all you called me here for?" Kaito asked, standing up. "If that's it, then there's somewhere I need to be. Thanks for the coffee, Aoko," he said, waving goodbye as he walked away.

"Kaito, wait! What the hell happened to you?" Aoko asked. Her chair scraped against the floor as she stood up, the sound echoing through the room. The restaurant grew eerily quiet as everyone hushed to see what was going on. Kaito remained silent however. Without a word, he continued walking, leaving a stunned Aoko behind.

* * *

"HEIJI! AHO! Ya forgot to buy diapers!" Kazuha yelled.

* * *

"You want to do it?" Haibara asked.

"I don't know if I'm ready," Hakuba replied.

"Don't worry. Everyone gets nervous. I was like that my first time too," Haibara said.

"Wait, how many times have you done it?" Hakuba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Four or five times," Haibara said with a shrug.

"Really," Hakuba said, "With who?"

"You know, Genta and Mitsuhiko," Haibara said.

"I see," Hakuba said slowly.

Haibara, noticing Hakuba's expression, smirked. "Are you jealous?" she asked.

"Why would I be? They're your classmates and all," Hakuba replied.

"And your my boyfriend," Haibara said slyly, putting a hand on Hakuba's shoulder. Hakuba felt his heartbeat quicken.

"There's a scientific explanation, you know, for why it starts growing bigger," he said.

"Uh-huh. Let's just do it already, okay?" Haibara asked.

Hakuba nodded. Then with great care, he took the eyedropper and let a couple drops of water drip onto the bunched-up straw wrapper. Instantly, the wrapper began to expand. "You're right, it looks just like a worm!" Hakuba exclaimed gleefully.

"See? It's just like I told you," Haibara replied with a smirk.

* * *

Hehe. Peace out!

-Jer


End file.
